Patriots’ de facto GM Eliot Wolf shares team’s new philosophy, approach to free agency
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INDIANAPOLIS — Last month, Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said the team was “ready to burn some cash” in free agency.
On Tuesday, the man in charge of spending that cash, Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf, didn’t sound quite as committed during his first press conference as the team’s new personnel head.
“We’re going to aggressively try to help the team,” Wolf told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine. “Take that however you want it, but we will try to do what’s right; whether that means spending or saving, TBD.”
Earlier this month, the Herald confirmed Wolf has control over the Patriots’ roster and is now leading the front office. The ex-Packers and Browns executive has 20 years of front-office experience and said Tuesday he will take a collaborative approach with his decision-making. Wolf also expounded on what fans can expect from his front office, which will lead on from Mayo, director of player personnel Matt Groh and new senior personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith among others.
“I think the main thing is just getting players that fit our culture, getting players that want to do right, want to do the extra (work). But in terms of just physical skills, we need to weaponize the offense. We need to be faster and more explosive on defense,” Wolf said. “Height, weight, speed, playmaking ability, there will definitely be an emphasis on those things.”
Wolf added the Patriots will prioritize playing younger players more than they have in the past. He emphasized drafting and developing players within his new program, hallmarks of the Packers’ roster-building philosophy Wolf learned working in Green Bay from 2004-2017. Wolf joined the Packers’ front office after his father, Hall of Fame GM Ron Wolf, built a Super Bowl winner and retired in 2001.
The 41-year-old is among several Patriots front-office executives and coaches in Indianapolis for the combine. Like every other team, the Patriots are working on several fronts: scouting college prospects, connecting with player agents ahead of free agency and talking with other teams about potential trades. NFL free agency will open on Monday, March 11, at noon.
Wolf opened up about the Patriots’ pitch to free agents next month, when the team will take its first major steps toward rebuilding.
“This is a new program, and we’re heading in the right direction. It’s a new era,” Wolf said. “We have leadership with Jerod Mayo, that is going to be tremendous. He’s just an unbelievable leader and developer of people. And I think that as we move forward with the new offense and defense, it’s going to be pretty special and exciting here.”
The Patriots currently hold $78 million in cap space, per Over The Cap, third-most in the league.
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