During his lengthy tenure with the organization, Bill Belichick wielded enormous influence as head coach and de facto general manager of the Patriots. 2024 will mark the beginning of a notable transition both on the sidelines and in the front office. 
Jerod Mayo succeeded Belichick as head coach, but New England briefly conducted a search for a new lead executive after the draft. To no surprise, that process produced only a shortlist of outside candidates willing to interview for the position before incumbent Eliot Wolf was given the title of EVP of player personnel. Wolf will control roster decisions and cap management among other GM-esque duties, but he will not have the autonomy Belichick previously enjoyed.
Prior to Wolf’s hire, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported Mayo and New England’s next lead executive will both report to owner Robert Kraft. That marks a stark departure from the Belichick era, when he had free reign on staffing and roster-building moves with little input from Kraft. Tension between the two grew in recent seasons, though, as the organization’s inability to find a genuine Tom Brady successor became apparent.
Quarterback was an understandable priority ahead of this year’s draft, the first with Wolf at the helm. Kraft and the Patriots’ ownership wanted to exit the opening round with a rookie signal-caller, and new England turned down considerable interest from both the Giants and Vikings for the No. 3 pick. Retaining that selection cleared the way for Drake Maye to be drafted, and he is now positioned to operate as the team’s starter as early as 2024.
Needless to say, how Maye fares during the years to come will be a central factor in determining Mayo and Wolf’s job security. It will be interesting to see how the new setup plays out with Kraft again being a central figure in key organizational decisions as the other two kick off their first career seasons in their respective positions. As New England looks to rebound from a 4-13 campaign in 2024, the team will simultaneously try out a new structure with respect to operations.
After regaining decision making of personnel after so many years, Kraft said he was tired of laying on his back and hoping for a happy ending. Even though now he felt he was coming from behind, Kraft was ready to stand up and thrust some juice into the process.
the Krafts are ruining this team
Hand Job Bob is being “exposed”.
I realize the trend today is to govern and make all decisions by committee but if you want to win, the best approach is to rely on strong leadership from a single person. Al Davis and Bill Belichick may have been dictators who had no interest in power sharing but their success speaks for itself.
Bill B cheated multiple times & busted for it by the league. 9 seasons w/o Tom, he’s some 15 games under .500.
We know your opinion of BB will never change but do you think the Pats organization would have done as well if a committee approach to decision making had been adopted rather than letting Belichick rule the roost?