Identifying Nine GM Candidates That Make Sense For Patriots

The Patriots and Bill Belichick went their separate ways Thursday, opening up the need for New England to fill two fairly significant, yet wholly unenviable, jobs.

If we’re being real, there aren’t many people lining up to replace Belichick.

We’re here to figure out who might be up for the task, though. Belichick’s departure not only opened up an on-field role, but perhaps more importantly, has the Patriots scrambling to find someone who’s going to fix their mess of a roster. They’ve reportedly got their new head coach in Jerod Mayo, but don’t have anything set in the front office.

New England needs to hire a general manager, who will soon be tasked with selecting what the franchise hopes will be its quarterback for the next decade-plus. We’ve got some options that come to mind, and you might not be surprised to hear they all have ties to the Patriots.

Dave Ziegler

– New England Patriots: 2013-2021
– Las Vegas Raiders (GM): 2021-2022

Ziegler’s coming off a fairly disastrous run as general manager of the Raiders, but he’s got as much familiarity with the Patriots as anyone. Is that a good thing? We’ve got no idea, but it certainly feels like something Robert Kraft would value in his search. The 43-year-old helped scout during drafts that netted the Patriots some pretty talented players, including Jamie Collins, Logan Ryan, James White and Trey Flowers. He made his name on the pro personnel side, however, having a larger hand in building New England’s last two Super Bowl winners. He might not be ready to be the No. 1 again, but he’d certainly be a serviceable No. 2.

Jon Robinson

– New England Patriots: 2002-2013
– Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2013-2015
– Tennessee Titans (GM): 2016-2022

This is another guy who probably isn’t ready to be a No. 1 again, but could provide a ton of value in the front office. His tenure in Tennessee came to an rough end, but the Titans proceeded to go winless throughout the remainder of last season and eventually fired Mike Vrabel after new GM, Ran Carthon, chose to take the organization in a different direction.

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Mike Borgonzi

– Kansas City Chiefs 2009 – Present

Borgonzi doesn’t have any Patriots ties, but he is a native of Everett, Mass. In terms of his football career, he’s had a hand in building the NFL’s most dominant franchise of the last five seasons, serving as the assistant general manager since 2021.

Matt Groh

– New England Patriots: 2011-Present

They kept Mayo …

Ray Agnew

– New England Patriots (Player): 1990-1994
– Los Angeles Rams: 2017-2020
– Detroit Lions: 2021-Present

This one is for all you middle-aged dudes needing a “real ball player” to run things. Agnew, who the Patriots selected with the 10th overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, has built quite the career for himself as an evaluator. He helped the Rams get to a Super Bowl, and has been the No. 2 in the Lions’ ride to prominence this season.

Bob Quinn

– New England Patriots: 2000-2015
– Detroit Lions (GM): 2016-2020
– Cleveland Browns: 2021-2023

Quinn didn’t do a great job in Detroit, we all know that. He’s had great tenures to bookend that stop, however, including a four-Super Bowl run with the Patriots. He’s spent the last three seasons consulting for the Browns, learning more about the analytics side of things while helping develop the knowledge of their younger staff.

Camren Williams

– New England Patriots: 2016-Present

If the Patriots want to continue the trend of promoting young, upstart guys from within, Williams would be a great start. His father, Brent, played for the team in the ’90s, so he’s been around for a while, and has moved quickly up the chain in the scouting department.

Trey Brown

– New England Patriots: 2010–2012
– Philadelphia Eagles: 2013–2018
– Cincinnati Bengals: 2021-Present

It seems like Brown might check all of the boxes a Patriots fan would want. He’s helped build a great roster in Cincinnati, but also has familiarity with the way things are done in New England. Oh yeah, he won a Super Bowl in Philadelphia, too.

If you’re wondering about that gap in his resume, he was building a pair of tremendous spring football rosters.

Eliot Wolf

– Green Bay Packers: 2004-2017
– Cleveland Browns: 2018-2019
– New England Patriots: 2020-Present

Wolf is an interesting case, because he wasn’t developed in New England. The 41-year-old cut his teeth in Green Bay, where his father, Ron, built one of their Super Bowl winning teams. He’s gone on to make a name for himself as an assistant general manager with the Browns, and as the head scout with the Patriots.

He’s routinely been on the short list for general manager positions over the last decade or so. He might finally break through in New England.