New England Patriots reportedly plan to take a surprisingly odd approach to a pivotal 2024 offseason

The New England Patriots general manager job is the last major opening in the NFL and a new report claims the organization may surprisingly leave the position vacant for the rest of the year.

This will be an extremely important offseason for the Patriots. In January, the organization decided to end its highly successful relationship with head coach Bill Belichick — a man who also served as the team’s top executive when it came to personnel moves. Although the franchise filled the head coach spot with assistant Jerod Mayo, the GM position remains unfilled as we close in on NFL free agency.

In recent weeks, owner Robert Kraft has hired some new personnel experts but he has not made a concerted effort to hire an individual to specifically hold the position of general manager. And it looks like he could surprisingly keep it that way for the rest of the year.

Who will make major personnel decisions with the New England Patriots not planning to hire a GM?

According to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones, “The Patriots have made no moves to interview any external candidate for their vacant primary football executive position in the wake of Bill Belichick’s departure. The team hasn’t had a general manager in title since Belichick took over, and that may continue in 2024.”

If you are wondering if the NFL allows a team to not have a specific GM for an extended amount of time, it does. When Belichick was given control of roster decisions, he was designated as the team’s “primary football executive” in league offices. So, who will be making the big decisions for the organization heading into a huge offseason for the franchise?

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While there is no GM, Jones claims sources have told him “Director of scouting Eliot Wolf is running personnel in New England.” And that the team’s hiring of veteran NFL executive Alonzo Highsmith was further proof of Wolf’s grip over the personnel department since he previously worked with Highsmith in Green Bay.

Wolf is the son of legendary Packers exec Ron Wolf and was an assistant GM in Cleveland before joining the Patriots in 2020. The decision not to name an official GM is a bit odd and makes it almost seem like a tryout for Wolf and his regime.

That does seem a bit risky to give a group that may not hold control next year the final say on player decisions in an offseason where the team has the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and a huge amount of money to spend in NFL free agency.