Tag: Alonzo Highsmith

Patriots announce five new front office staff hires

Five new names are joining the Patriots’ front office

On Tuesday, the New England Patriots announced five new additions to their front office. These hires were made throughout the offseason and have now been made official.

One of the more notable names on the list is Alonzo Highsmith, who will serve as the Patriots’ senior personnel executive. He comes from a strong football background. He was most recently the general manager of football operations at the University of Miami.

The other moves for the Patriots include Casey Belongia as an area scout, Bob Kronenberg as a pro scout, A.J. Richardson as a scouting assistant and Landon Simpson as a scouting assistant.

New England’s complete personnel list, including coaches, can be seen here.

It’s been a busy day for the Patriots organization as they look to solidify their front office personnel. On-field moves typically catch public attention, but the personnel moves are equally important.

These individuals will have a finger on the pulse of a struggling team looking to be rebuilt into a perennial contender.

Report: Patriots hiring University of Miami executive for front office role

The Patriots are adding to their front office with a major hiring on Wednesday

The New England Patriots are hiring University of Miami general manager Alonzo Highsmith to join their front office, per The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman.

A specific role is undetermined at this time.

This is another hire with Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf’s stamp on it. He worked with Highsmith from 2004-2017. Highsmith served as the vice president of player personnel for the Cleveland Browns from 2018-2019. He also helped manage personnel for the Seattle Seahawks from 2020-2022.

Highsmith had a standout collegiate career for the University of Miami. He was inducted to the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 1997. He played in the NFL from 1987-1992 with the Houston Oilers, Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Highsmith brings a lot to the table as an evaluator of talent.

His knowledge in scouting and grading talent is vast, and it could prove beneficial for the Patriots as they continue to revamp their roster for the future.

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GM candidates the Giants could consider if they fire Dave Gettleman

With the New York Giants likely to part ways with general manager Dave Gettleman, here are several potential options to replace him.

The New York Giants are likely to move on from general manager Dave Gettleman following the season. Whether he’s fired or retires remains to be seen but either way, Big Blue will be thrust into another GM search.

If the Giants are firm in their commitment to head coach Joe Judge, that may thin out their pool of options. It may also strengthen the likelihood of landing a new GM that has previous ties to Judge.

Is that good or bad? We’ll let you decide.

With a GM swap all but a certainty, here’s a look at several potential options who could replace Gettleman in 2022 and beyond.

Seahawks announce Alonzo Highsmith hired to full-time scouting role

The Seattle Seahawks have officially announced the hiring of Alonzo Highsmith to a full-time scouting role after serving as a consultant.

The Seattle Seahawks have officially announced the hiring of Alonzo Highsmith to a full-time scouting role. Highsmith was added to the staff as a consultant earlier in the offseason.

A former NFL running back, Highsmith was most recently in Cleveland, where he served as the vice president of personnel for the Browns from 2018-2019. For the previous 19 seasons, Highsmith was part of the Packers’ player personnel department.

Highsmith attended the University of Miami before entering the NFL. During his professional career, he spent time with the Oilers, Cowboys and Buccaneers.  In his 65 regular-season games played, Highsmith logged 283 carries for 1195 yards and seven touchdowns.

During his lengthy stint in Green Bay, Highsmith worked with John Schneider before his hiring as Seattle’s general manager.

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Seahawks hire Alonzo Highsmith as personnel executive

The Seattle Seahawks officially hired longtime NFL executive Alonzo Highsmith, making him a personnel executive in the scouting department.

After bringing him on as a consultant ahead of the 2020 NFL draft, the Seattle Seahawks have officially hired longtime league executive Alonzo Highsmith.

Highsmith is listed as a personnel executive on Seattle’s team website. His extensive experience in the NFL includes 19 years spent with the Green Bay Packers. He was promoted to senior personnel executive in 2012 and held that position until he left in 2018 to become the Browns’ vice president of player personnel.

Highsmith was let go by the Browns in January after the team hired Andrew Barry as their new general manager, and he was reunited with Seahawks general manager John Schneider in February as a consultant.

Highsmith and Schneider worked together in Green Bay for eight seasons from 2002-2009.

Highsmith’s long track record in the NFL goes back even further, as he played fullback in the league from 1987-1992 with the Houston Oilers, Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before embarking on a brief career as a professional boxer, and eventually landing in Green Bay’s scouting department.

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Former Browns VP Alonzo Highsmith joins the Seahawks

Former Browns VP of Player Personnel Alonzo Highsmith joins the Seahawks after two seasons in Cleveland

Alonzo Highsmith didn’t have to look for work very long. Highsmith has joined the Seattle Seahawks as a member of their scouting department, according to the team’s website. He is listed as a personnel executive.

Highsmith served as the Browns Vice President of Player Personnel under former GM John Dorsey for the 2018-2019 seasons. The 55-year-old former NFL player was let go after Andrew Berry took over as general manager with the Browns.

In Seattle, Highsmith rejoins a front office led by GM John Schneider. The two worked together — with Dorsey — in Green Bay earlier this decade. Earlier rumors of Highsmith heading back to his college alma mater, Miami, proved unfounded.

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Seahawks hire pair of ex-Browns executives as NFL draft consultants

Seattle Seahawks GM John Schneider hired two former Browns executives, Eliot Wolf and Alonzo Highsmith, to serve as draft consultants.

The Seattle Seahawks are getting ready for another busy, exciting NFL draft. With nine picks in tow and likely more to come as the team looks to wheel and deal, general manager John Schneider decided to bring in some reinforcements.

Schneider hired two former Browns executives, Eliot Wolf and Alonzo Highsmith, as consultants for the team during the draft process, which kicks off this week at the NFL combine.

Both Wolf and Highsmith spent the last two seasons with the Browns, with Wolf serving as the team’s assistant general manager while Highsmith was the vice president of player personnel.

Wolf worked alongside Schneider for eight years in Green Bay, from 2002-2009, before Schneider took the job with the Seahawks.

Highsmith joined Green Bay in 2012 and has worked with Wolf ever since, and the pair will once again reunite – this time alongside Schneider in Seattle.

Both Wolf and Highsmith are candidates to remain with the Seahawks long term, but for now they are just on to help the team evaluate NFL draft talent in an attempt to shore up their roster – particularly along the offensive and defensive lines.

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Should Jags give former Browns executives Eliot Wolf or Alonzo Highsmith a call for recent opening?

The Jags have a vacancy in their front office as Chris Polian has left. Could there be two former Browns execs available for his job?

The Jacksonville Jaguars have several openings available to be filled in the future, including one personnel executive job. On Thursday, we reported that Director of Player Personnel, Chris Polian, was no longer a part of the team’s front office, leaving a key spot vacant in a key season for the team’s front office.

With it just being January, several other front offices are making moves, including the Cleveland Browns, who apparently have parted ways with assistant general manager Eliot Wolf and Vice President of Player Personnel Alonzo Highsmith. Both executives had joined the team under former general manager John Dorsey after spending many years with the Green Bay Packers organization.

With both potentially looking for work and the Jags’ need to fill a key vacancy left by Polian’s departure, should the Jags give Wolf or Highsmith (or both) a call to join their front office?

Eliot Wolf, in particular, is a name that may ring a bell as he is the son of Hall of Fame general manager, Ron Wolf. He also has been a hot name to owners as he’s one of the top up-and-comers in terms of future general managers.

Wolf previously spent over a decade with the Packers and worked his way up from being a pro personnel assistant in 2004 to becoming the team’s Director of Football Operations in 2017. in 2018, he was a candidate to become the team’s general manager, however, Brian Gutekunst got the nod instead.

Highsmith, on the other hand, was a scout under Ron Wolf in the late 1990s. He eventually found himself working his way up to the team’s Senior Personnel Executive role in 2012-17. It may be worth noting that he is a native of Bartow Florida, which is roughly three and a half hours from Jacksonville and is relatively close in proximity.

At the moment it’s unknown whether or not the Jags are looking to fill Polian’s spot and it’s possible they could elect to keep it vacant for 2020. They have yet to officially speak on the matter or say anything about filling the vacancy, but with the combine coming up we could know more soon.

On the other hand, not having a lieutenant may not be the smartest decision for general manager Dave Caldwell, who already has his plate full and is basically fighting for his job. Sure, Caldwell can lean on his faith from the current front office but having a new pair of ears in the building could help. After all, Wolf and Highsmith have been a part of a Packers organization that routinely made the postseason over the past decade and even won a Super Bowl in 2011. With the Jags only having one successful season under Caldwell and his group, that alone should entice them to call either former executive.

We’d like to hear from you all on the matter. Should the Jags have interest in either Wolf or Highsmith? Let us know on social media.

Antonio Brown vs. Logan Paul? Seems more and more likely

Former NFL receiver Antonio Brown has begun training in boxing for a possible fight against internet personality Logan Paul.

Many former football players have tried to make the transition to boxing. And many have failed.

Is Antonio Brown next on the list?

First of all, Brown has the time now. The All-Pro receiver had an acrimonious departure from the NFL and no one seems to be interested in signing him even though he’s only 31, at least not at the moment.

And he might have a foil if he decides to actually exchange blows in the ring. Logan Paul, the YouTube personality who lost to counterpart KSI in an official fight in November, told TMZ Sports that he and Brown have already begun talks to fight one another.

That makes perfect sense. Paul knows fans would buy into a fight with a former NFL star. And he has an advantage: No one would describe Paul as a skillful boxer but at least he has been training for a while.

That doesn’t seem to be the case with Brown. Check out the video of Brown hitting mitts that DAZN USA posted on its Twitter account. DAZN, which streamed Paul-KSI, presumably would do the same with Paul-Brown.

Brown appears to be fit in the video. And we know he’s quick and athletic. However, it appears he never threw a punch in his life.

Of course, football players-turned-boxers such as Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Mark Gastineau, Alonzo Highsmith and Seth Mitchell fought genuine boxers in their careers. Brown would be fighting another novice.

The best football player-turned-boxer? Probably heavyweight Charlie Powell, who was a remarkable athlete in the 1950s and early ’60s. He played minor-league baseball out of high school and then became the youngest NFL player ever at 19. He lasted five seasons as a defensive end and linebacker.

Powell (25-11-3, 17 KOs) made his pro boxing debut during his NFL career, in 1953. He went on to knock out No. 2-ranked Nino Valdes in 1959 and later fight Muhammad Ali and Floyd Patterson, getting stopped by both. He never fought for the heavyweight title but was capable enough to share the ring with future Hall of Famers.

With a little work, Brown might become capable enough to fight an internet personality.