Patriots make unsurprising decision on top executive

The Patriots have officially hired a new top football executive, and the final decision is unsurprising.

New England announced on Saturday that they have promoted Eliot Wolf to oversee the front office. Wolf had previously served as the team’s scouting director and has been operating as the de facto general manager since Belichick’s departure. His new title will officially be executive vice president of player personnel.

The team’s statement said Wolf’s responsibilities will include “the overall direction of the personnel department, the management of the salary cap, and in control of the 53-man roster.” Owner Robert Kraft said he made the decision to promote Wolf after watching how he worked with new coach Jerod Mayo over the offseason.

“As I have stated 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,” Kraft said in a statement. “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 was viewed as the likely hire from the start, to the point that the Patriots struggled to get candidates to interview for the job to satisfy the Rooney Rule. Either they found a way to fulfill those requirements or simply decided to accept the penalty, though the former is more likely.