Patriots' Eliot Wolf expected to be in charge of personnel department

The Patriots’ post-Bill Belichick front office is taking shape, and it appears a holdover from the previous regime will have final say on personnel matters. 

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports Eliot Wolf is expected to be in charge of the personnel department, giving him control of the 53-man roster while working closely with new head coach Jerod Mayo, per a source.

New England is also hiring veteran evaluator Alonzo Highsmith to be its senior personnel executive, Rapoport reports, per a source.

Wolf, 41, joined the Patriots in 2020 as a consultant, later being elevated to director of scouting in 2022. The son of longtime Packers GM Ron Wolf has been scouting in the NFL for two decades, first joining Green Bay’s staff in 2004. 

The Patriots appear ready to spend following their worst season in decades. Mayo recently said that the team was “ready to burn some cash” in free agency, currently sitting with more than $66 million in salary-cap space, according to Over The Cap. New England also holds the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Highsmith, who turns 59 years old later this month, has spent the past two years as the general manager of football operations at the University of Miami, his alma mater. In that role, Highsmith assisted Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal on all personnel matters, including roster construction, managing recruiting and the transfer portal. 

Highsmith played for the Hurricanes during their rise to power in the mid-1980s and later spent seven years as a running back in the NFL with the Houston Oilers, Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, rushing for 1,195 yards and seven TDs in his career. 

Wolf and Highsmith have worked together in Green Bay, where Highsmith began as an NFL scout in 2012. Prior to re-joining the Hurricanes, Highsmith later spent time as an executive with the Browns from 2018 to 2019 and with the Seahawks from 2020 to 2022.