Tag: Eliot Wolf

Eliot Wolf explains reason for confidence in Patriots’ offensive line

Eliot Wolf remains optimistic about the offensive line, despite the early struggles

New England Patriots lead personnel executive Eliot Wolf remains optimistic about the offensive line, despite the team’s continued efforts to figure out the best five combination.

New England worked to address the offensive line issues in the draft by selecting rookies Caedan Wallace and Layden Robinson. The line itself struggled last week against the Philadelphia Eagles. Tackle remains a glaring issue for the team, but they also struggled at center when David Andrews wasn’t in the game.

A fumbled snap on a potential game-winning drive highlighted those depth problems. Still, Wolf remains confident about the group as a whole, and he insists it’ll come down to finding the right combination.

“We’re excited about our offensive line group. We’re still working to find the correct combination in there, and I think we have the pieces in place to be able to compete,” said Wolf.

Wolf’s comments might frustrate Patriots fans considering the unit as a whole hasn’t looked great in training camp, particularly in their scrimmage against the Philadelphia Eagles.

It will be interesting to see what happens in Sunday’s preseason finale against the Washington Commanders. This will be the last chance New England gets to experiment with the offensive line in a game situation before the Week 1 regular season opener.

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Eliot Wolf puts final nail in coffin of Patriots-Brandon Aiyuk trade talk

Eliot Wolf puts an end to the Brandon Aiyuk trade talk

Eliot Wolf gave an update on where the New England Patriots stand regarding trading for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

When asked if the team has closed the door on Aiyuk, the response was an emphatic “yes” from the Patriots’ executive vice president of player personnel.

“Yes, at this point,” Wolf told media members.

The Patriots officially ended their pursuit earlier this month, citing their confidence in the young wide receivers room as one of the main factors.

Aiyuk’s destination has not been decided to this point, but it appears as if he will either stay in San Francisco or be traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Aiyuk is coming off a 2023 season that saw him tally 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. He was part of a dynamic 49ers offense that helped propel the team to a Super Bowl appearance last season.

The Patriots are not at a Super Bowl level yet, and they appear to be taking a long-term approach to a rebuild. They could still use help at receiver, either from an outside player or a huge leap in production from somebody already on their team.

The lack of explosive receiving weapons is a lingering issue that persists, even after all of the changes the team made in the offseason. It’ll be up to Wolf and company to fix it.

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Eliot Wolf says Patriots ‘got a little something’ for Jets QB Aaron Rodgers

Eliot Wolf had some playful banter for Jets QB Aaron Rodgers

New England Patriots vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf had some playful banter for New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, during a recent appearance on the “Up & Adams” show.

“We got a little something for him,” said Wolf, when asked about facing Rodgers during the regular season.

Wolf and Rodgers have a long history together during their time in Green Bay. The top Patriots executive was a pro personnel assistant with the Packers when Rodgers was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft by the organization.

So being in New England is a bit of a full circle moment for Wolf, who is now tasked with stopping a player he spent most of his career rooting for in games.

Wolf used the Patriots’ No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft to select quarterback Drake Maye out of North Carolina. There’s hope Maye can develop into one of the NFL’s next great signal-callers and get the Patriots back into playoff contention.

He’ll have to get through a murderer’s row of quarterbacks in the AFC East, including Rodgers, Josh Allen and Tua Tagovailoa to do so.

Patriots exec reveals biggest takeaway from the failed Mac Jones era

The Patriots are doing everything possible to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself with rookie QB Drake Maye

New England Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf isn’t dwelling on the team’s past failures, but he’s also not completely ignoring them, either.

One of the biggest disasters in franchise history, without question, was the Mac Jones era. The former No. 15 overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft showed tremendous promise as a rookie Pro Bowler, before falling so high off a cliff that he was shipped off in a trade to the Jacksonville Jaguars, two years later, just to play backup for Trevor Lawrence.

The last thing the Patriots need is a sequel to that situation with current rookie quarterback Drake Maye, who was taken at No. 3 overall in the 2024 draft. One of the best ways of avoiding that is taking lessons from the past and improving to ensure a better future.

Wolf recently appeared on the “Up & Adams” show and talked about his biggest takeaway from the failed Jones era.

“The main thing that we’ve been able to take away is just being able to support, not only Drake, but every quarterback we have,” said Wolf. “Just throw every level of support that we possibly can at the quarterback. And those are things that, whether it’s coaching, whether it’s something off the field, whether it’s virtual reality—whatever the case may be. Just really having the willingness to support whoever the quarterback is in every facet that we possibly can.”

The Patriots have already demonstrated a different level of support for Maye under the new regime of Wolf and coach Jerod Mayo. They committed seven of their eight draft picks to the offensive side of the ball.

It’s a huge difference from Bill Belichick using the first three picks on defensive players in 2023, despite the offensive unit’s clear and obvious struggles.

Jones might not have had Maye’s natural talent, but he also wasn’t given much of a chance to succeed in New England, either. The offensive line was a mess, and he had one of the worst receiving corps in the NFL.

Throw in the fact that he also had three different offensive coordinators in his three years with the team and it’s hard to imagine anyone succeeding under those circumstances.

The Patriots must change before the outcome does. So far, under Wolf and Mayo, they’ve shown a willingness to do so.

North Carolina’s OC agrees with Eliot Wolf’s assessment of Drake Maye

North Carolina OC Chip Lindsey believes Drake Maye has “everything you want” in a quarterback

New England Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf made an assessment of rookie quarterback Drake Maye on draft night, and Maye’s former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Chip Lindsey, is on the same page as well.

Wolf cited Maye’s ability to elevate his teammates in college as a reason for the Patriots drafting him with the No. 3 overall pick. The former North Carolina quarterback threw for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions in his final collegiate season.

Maye’s ability to elevate his teammates could be something of importance to New England, as the organization is looking to rebuild their entire offense. Lindsey agrees with the assessment of the quarterback making people around him better, as transcribed by NESN.com’s Sean T. McGuire.

“He did a great job of making everybody play their best. Everybody elevated their game when he played,” Lindsey said. “…I think Drake’s gonna transition really well. He’s extremely competitive and really, really smart. Football IQ is off the charts.

“He’s got everything you want. He’s got all the intangibles and he’s talented. Anytime you have that combination you’re gonna have a really good player, and I think he’ll adapt really well.”

This is a challenging situation for a rookie quarterback to come into. New England has had to rebuild the entire offense, and the quarterback is certainly a big part of that.

The organization has needed stability at the position, and Maye has the characteristics to get it done.

Former Packers executive Eliot Wolf named VP of player personnel for Patriots

The son of Ron Wolf is now in charge of the personnel for the New England Patriots.

Eliot Wolf, the son of Hall of Fame general manager Ron Wolf who spent over a decade in the personnel department of the Green Bay Packers, has been named the executive vice president of player personnel for the New England Patriots.

While not officially the general manager, Wolf will assume control of the Patriots personnel, salary cap and 53-man roster.

“It is an honor to accept this position with the New England Patriots,” said Wolf. “I am grateful to the Kraft family for this opportunity and want to thank my family, especially my wife and children, for the support and strength they have given me as I move forward in my new role. I also want to thank all of the people I have worked with and learned from over the years.”

Wolf has been operating as the personnel head for the Patriots this offseason, including during the 2024 NFL draft. New England drafted North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye at No. 3 overall.

Wolf, 42, was in Green Bay from 2004 to 2017. He graduated from Notre Dame Academy in Green Bay in 2000.

While with the Packers, Wolf was a pro personnel assistant (2004-08), assistant director of pro personnel (2008-11), assistant director of player personnel (2011- 12), director of pro personnel (2012-15), director of player personnel (2015-16) and director of football operations (2016-17).

After Brian Gutekunst was hired as general manager, Wolf moved on to Cleveland, where he spent two years with the Browns under John Dorsey before joining the Patriots. Over the last two years, Wolf has been the director of scouting for the Patriots.

Wolf is taking over control of the roster from Bill Belichick, who was dismissed in New England following the 2023 season.

Eliot Wolf named Patriots executive vice president of player personnel

It’s official. Eliot Wolf is now the new head of personnel in New England.

The New England Patriots have made Eliot Wolf executive vice president of player personnel. The team made the announcement on Saturday afternoon.

Wolf will head the personnel department, manage the salary cap, and have control of the 53-man roster, per the team’s official press release.

Prior to his promotion, Wolf started with the Patriots as a consultant in 2020 and 2021. He was then named as the director of scouting in 2022. Prior to his time with the Patriots, he served as the assistant general manager of the Cleveland Browns in 2018 and 2019.

The Wolf name has a prestigious history in the NFL with Eliot being the son of Hall of Fame general manager Ron Wolf.

“It is an honor to accept this position with the New England Patriots,” said Eliot Wolf. “I am grateful to the Kraft family for this opportunity and want to thank my family, especially my wife and children, for the support and strength they have given me as I move forward in my new role. I also want to thank all of the people I have worked with and learned from over the years.”

This is certainly a notable move for the Patriots, especially as Eliot guided the team this off-season throughout free agency and the 2024 NFL draft. This gives New England a clear direction in the personnel department.

Patriots reportedly have new job title for de facto GM role

Here’s what the de facto general manager will be called in New England

The New England Patriots have reportedly registered a job title to the NFL for their de facto general manager role in the front office.

According to NFL insider Albert Breer, the official title of the role previously held by former coach Bill Belichick will be executive vice president of player personnel.

Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf was appointed the job in an interim role after the team parted ways with Belichick. He made the final decisions in free agency and the 2024 NFL draft after collaborating with others in the building, including coach Jerod Mayo.

So far, the team has reportedly interviewed former Carolina Panthers director of player negotiations and salary cap manager Samir Suleiman and Philadelphia Eagles director of scouting Brandon Hunt.

Wolf is expected to be a strong candidate to retain the role, which has led to multiple candidates declining the Patriots’ request for interviews.

The general consensus appears to be people mostly satisfied with the job Wolf has done so far in the offseason. Unless some candidate blows him out of the water, it’s hard to justify ousting him this soon.

Patriots schedule first known external interview for de facto GM job

The Patriots have scheduled an interview for their de facto general manager job

The New England Patriots have reportedly scheduled an interview with Philadelphia Eagles director of scouting Brandon Hunt for their lead personnel job, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

An official title hasn’t been placed on the job, but the candidate chosen is expected to serve as the de facto general manager for the Patriots organization.

Hunt worked his way up as a front office intern and pro scout coordinator with the Pittsburgh Steelers before eventually landing the front office executive job in Philly. He is the first known outside candidate to be interviewed for the job in New England.

Multiple candidates declined the Patriots’ requests for interviews, including Cincinnati Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown, former Arizona Cardinals VP of player personnel Quentin Harris and Buffalo Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray.

There is still belief that Patriots director of scouting and current de facto general manager Eliot Wolf will ultimately win the job, which is why so many other candidates have denied interview requests.

Eliot Wolf admits QB Joe Milton III had too much talent to pass up

Eliot Wolf explains why the Patriots drafted QB Joe Milton III

New England Patriots de facto general manager Eliot Wolf admitted former Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III’s rare physical traits, including his size, rocket arm and athleticism, all factored into the team drafting him at No. 193 overall.

Why not take a flier on a quarterback that was 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds with the ability to throw the ball out of the building?

That was essentially Wolf’s reasoning, when appearing on “The Adam Schefter Podcast” on Tuesday.

“I had the opportunity to watch Joe play live the last game of the year against Vanderbilt. I got there really early and watched him warm up, and just watching him throw the football is unbelievable,” said Wolf. “I mean, he’s 6-5, 245 pounds. He’s got a rocket for an arm. He’s athletic. He played in [Josh] Heupel’s offense there, which is not an NFL offense, but we feel like there’s some things that we can work with and develop. It was just one of those picks where, you know, there was too much talent in him to pass that up.”

The addition of Milton initially had the Patriots with five quarterbacks on their roster. However, on Monday, they announced the release of backup Nathan Rourke.

Naturally, Bailey Zappe’s spot on the roster has come into question, particularly if Milton performs well at training camp. It could lead to a depth chart of Drake Maye, Jacoby Brissett and Milton.

One thing is certain: The competition will be as fierce as it’s ever been at the Patriots’ quarterback position.