In hiring a new coach, the Patriots did not hire a new head of football operations. They have now turned their attention to that work.
Given the position, compliance with the Rooney Rule is necessary. According to at least one report, this requirement has been satisfied.
By Ben Volin Boston Globe: “I was told that the Patriots already fulfilled with the Rooney Rule as it relates to their GM situation, so that’s not the reason they’re going through an interview process.”
There were no reports of interviews that satisfied the rule. This often comes to light when a team seeks permission to interview candidates hired by other teams. For this to happen without such requests being sent to the league – and inevitably being leaked – the Patriots would have to interview candidates who are not under contract with any other franchise or candidates who currently work for the Patriots.
Some league insiders believe it’s a done deal for Eliot Wolf to get the job. As one source pointed out on Monday, he just drafted the next franchise quarterback, if said quarterback develops as they hope. The idea that someone other than Wolf would take over a football team that made an investment of this magnitude in Drake Maye wouldn’t make much sense.
If they hadn’t already complied with the Rooney Rule, attracting candidates to an interview at a time when it seems like a consumed fact could be a challenge. But they reportedly complied.
Obviously, it would be helpful to have transparency in this regard. This is one of the benefits of the Rooney Rule. Minority candidates become tied to important positions, laying the groundwork for those same candidates to be considered elsewhere in the future. If no one knows who was interviewed, it defeats one of the practical purposes of the rule.
