Seeking to install someone not named Bill Belichick atop their personnel pyramid for the first time since the 20th century, the Patriots are having some issues launching a true search. A third candidate for their top front office position has turned down an interview.
The Patriots requested a meeting with Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer, who adds Gray “politely” declined the interview. Gray’s refusal to meet with the Pats follows Bengals exec Trey Brown and veteran personnel exec Quentin Harris doing the same.
Gray, who interviewed for both the Chargers and Raiders’ GM jobs in January, has been with the Bills since 2017. Bills GM Brandon Beane hired Gray upon arrival seven years ago. Gray has held the title of Bills director of player personnel since 2022. The Bills reshuffled their front office — a process that led to the team elevating short-lived Texans GM Brian Gaine to assistant GM — following assistant GM Joe Schoen landing the Giants’ GM position two years ago.
Twenty years in as an NFL staffer, Gray logged 11 years in Minnesota under Rick Spielman and previously spent time in Kansas City as well. Gray’s presence during the Bills’ rise into an AFC power — after 17 missed playoff brackets between the Music City Miracle and the first Beane-Sean McDermott year — has naturally made him an attractive GM candidate.
The Pats appear to be having a difficult time convincing candidates this position will not ultimately go to Eliot Wolf, who has been operating as the team’s de facto GM for months. The veteran exec is viewed as the expected hire, Breer adds. This will be rather interesting, seeing as Wolf already shepherded the Patriots through a draft that produced the team’s hopeful franchise quarterback in Drake Maye. Robert Kraft letting Wolf, a Patriots staffer since March 2020, make that decision and then hiring someone else to run the team post-draft would be a strange shift for a team settling in post-Belichick.
A recent report suggested the Patriots had complied with the Rooney Rule, but the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed offers that is not currently the case. Rumored to be planning a true search for a front office boss for a while, the Patriots complied with the Rooney Rule before the draft, per Kyed, due to no singular presence being atop the FO hierarchy. Now that the Pats are planning to name a front office leader, they need to interview at least two external minority candidates for GM and HC posts. Brown, Gray and Harris are each Black, but thus far, no known interviews with any external candidates have taken place.
Yeah Wolf is the favorite because nobody else wants the job.
I guess that these candidates see Eliot as nothing more than a Wolf in sheep’s clothing?
More like a sheep in wolf’s clothing.
Even if the job is Eliot Wolf’s and the process is fixed, why turn down the interview? Why have your name know as someone who said “No” when you can make a solid impression with an owner? Learn everything that you can about Bob Kraft and his organization and leave an impression that makes him want to have you back in house.
Because it’s a slap in the face and very disrespectful plus after the way they’ve treated BB (im glad he’s gone) as of late would you want to and the rumors of the way the draft was handled it can’t look really good on the organization
I guess we just have a different way to look at the situation. This is an invite to interview for a promotion to a position that apparently, there aren’t even 32 of. Get the interview experience. Also, if a candidate is that sharp, gather information during the interview and learn what not to do.
If league insiders know the job is going to Wolf, why would any of these guys want to share knowledge and insight, especially with a team in your division (in Gray’s case)?
Hand Job Bob might want to offer 1 year of free Rub and Tugs since no one wants to work for the Cheap ego maniac.
Couldn’t even secure a prelimanary interview from multiple attempts. So now, favorite is guy who just made their draft selections including a 1st round QB, constructed their current roster, hired new rookie HC, and original plans were to have em stay in front office n co-GM anyway. What a mess.
seems like the minority candidates dont want to be apart of the formality process. big middle finger.
Most of the Rooney interviews are just a formality, and people do those all the time.