According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Patriots are going to take their time hiring a GM and may not address the position until after the draft.

For now, it apoears that Matt Groh and Eliot Wolf will be running the front office and handling free agency and the draft.

It is not uncommon for teams to do this but it is not recommended especially if you are team that is in the Patriots current situation. Hiring a general manager should be the number one priority right now for owner Robert Kraft but that does not appear to be the case.

When Kraft was asked about Bill Belichick and all the power he had, Kraft talked about checks and balances and the need for a collaborative approach. He also talked about the importance of having someone who will say no.

“Well, that’s a good point. Just to be clear, he didn’t have all that power and rights. I don’t think it happened until after the third Super Bowl, but it slowly happened, and, in my opinion, he earned it.” Kraft continued: “And, it worked pretty well for most of the time. But, all of us need checks and balances in our life. We need what I say – I call it, we need doctor ‘no’s’ around us, people to protect ourselves from ourselves, protect us from ourselves. And, as things evolve and you get more power, sometimes people are afraid to speak up.”

Empowering your coach and current members of the front office is one thing, not having someone in place to lead your front office is another. It just makes no sense given the current state of the franchise.

Mayo has reportedly reached out to potential general manager candidates but that should not be his focus. Assembling a staff should be his focus right now.  It is almost as if the Patriots are operating backwards right now. 

It seems to me that moving on from Belichick was more about moving on from Belichick than anything else. It does not appear like much else will change moving forward. If that is the case, how are the Patriots better? 

Time will tell what happens moving forward but not going through the coaching process or through a general manager process makes no sense.