Eliot Wolf named Patriots executive VP of player personnel

FOXBORO -- The Patriots made it official for Eliot Wolf on Saturday, naming him the franchise's new executive vice president of player personnel. The 42-year-old had spent the previous two seasons as New England's director of scouting, after initially joining the Patriots in 2020.

Wolf was serving as New England's de facto general manager since the team moved on from Bill Belichick in January, and essentially ran the team's draft board at the 2024 NFL Draft when the Patriots drafted Drake Maye third overall. 

But Wolf was only signed through the draft, and the Patriots began interviewing candidates to run the front office over the last week, with Wolf considered the favorite to land the position. Now that it is official, Wolf will be in charge of setting the overall direction of the personnel department, as well as managing the salary cap and controling the Patriots' 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."

"As I have started multiple times during the offseason, the plan was to observe the working relationship and involvement between Eliot and Jerod and see how they managed our offseason personnel decisions," Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft said in a release announcing Saturday's move. "Then, following the draft we would formally undertake a process for setting up the permanent structure of our personnel department. I have been impressed with Eliot's management style and experience and I'm excited that he has agreed to take on this new position."

Wolf has 20 years of NFL experience after he initially got his break with the Green Bay Packers as a pro personnel assistant in 2004. He was elevated to Green Bay's assistant director of pro personnel in 2008, and then assistant director of player personnel in 2011. Wolf served as director of pro personnel for three seasons before being elevated to director of player personnel in 2015, and then spent the final two years of his 14-year run with the Packers as the franchise's director of football operations in 2016 and 2017.

After his time in Green Bay, Wolf served as the assistant GM of the Cleveland Brown in 2018 and 2019.