Patriots seek new lead football operations executive, Eliot Wolf considered strong candidate; Rooney Rule compliance necessary

Jonathan Jones has reported that the New England Patriots are starting the search for a potential lead football operations executive, a role similar to the general manager in most teams. Though the current Patriots' director of scouting Eliot Wolf, who served as the acting General Manager during this offseason, is considered a strong candidate, the team necessitates a comprehensive search to comply with the Rooney Rule, requiring the interview of at least two external minority candidates. The need arose after former Head Coach Bill Belichick, who was holding the role, left, and although Head Coach Jerod Mayo could replace Belichick without a full search, the same provision didn't apply to Wolf.