Report: How Patriots are handling contract talks with no official GM originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
When the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan reported Monday that the New England Patriots have been in contact with wide receiver and pending free agent Kendrick Bourne about a new contract, an obvious question followed:
Who exactly was Bourne in contact with?
After all, the Patriots parted ways with their de facto general manager last week in Bill Belichick, who had a massive influence in both coaching and personnel decisions. So, who’s running the show in Belichick’s absence?
Our Phil Perry reported Saturday that New England isn’t expected to bring in a new GM, with director of player personnel Matt Groh and director of scouting Eliot Wolf likely having “prominent” roles in personnel. According to Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal, Groh is currently calling the shots when it comes to pending free agents.
Groh “has been the one reaching out to current Pats’ players who are in walk years about retaining their services,” Giardi wrote Tuesday night, adding that Groh “has also been on the road doing some college scouting” along with Patriots director of college scouting Camren Williams.
If that’s the case, then Groh is a busy man: The Patriots have 15 players who are set to hit unrestricted free agency, including core players like Bourne, defensive backs Kyle Dugger and Myles Bryant, offensive linemen Trent Brown and Mike Onwenu, tight ends Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki, running back Ezekiel Elliott and linebackers Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings.
It’s possible that these responsibilities are nothing new for Groh, who is entering his third year as the team’s director of player personnel. The key difference, of course, is that Belichick is now removed from the equation, and it’s still unclear whether Groh, Wolf or someone else in the building has “final say” on personnel decisions.
This is a crucial offseason for the Patriots, who have $67.9 million in cap space…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/report-patriots-handling-contract-talks-141034260.html
Author : NBC Sports Boston
Publish date : 2024-01-17 14:10:34
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