Trey Brown, a senior personnel executive with the Cincinnati Bengals, is going to be a general manager in the NFL soon enough. But it won't be with the New England Patriots.
The Patriots officially started their search for a de facto GM (it's not known what title they will be given but functionally they will operate as a GM) this week, sending out interview invites to potential candidates, according to Mark Daniels of MassLive.
Brown received one of those invites but he declined the interview request, Tom Pelissero reported on Monday evening.
#Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown has declined a request to interview for the #Patriots de facto GM position, per source. Brown will remain a top GM candidate in next year’s cycle.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 6, 2024
Why did Trey Brown decline the Patriots GM opportunity?
Brown is going to be a hot commodity for teams looking to replace their GM going into 2025. So why not put his hat in the ring now for the Patriots job?
There's a two-word answer for that: Eliot Wolf.
Wolf has filled in for New England on an interim basis since Jerod Mayo was hired as the team's new head coach. And he's the runaway favorite to get the job.
"I would be stunned if [Eliot Wolf] doesn't get the job. He is the overwhelming favorite" @PhilAPerry, @tomecurran and @MikeGiardi react to reports that the Patriots have begun their official search for the team's next head of football operations pic.twitter.com/ewwwQFyjhn
— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) May 6, 2024
In fact, Wolf's path to the permanent job is so clear the search itself has been widely referred to as a "formality."
The Patriots have to abide by NFL hiring rules. That means they can't just promote someone from within. They have to conduct an outside search and they have to satisfy the Rooney Rule by interviewing at least two minority candidates from outside the organization.
Every "candidate" who receives an invite knows that if their name isn't Eliot Wolf, their interview won't result in them getting the job.
For a lot of hopefuls, that might not be a problem. Interviewing for the job, even if someone else is destined to get it, is good for exposure. It can be good practice for someone hoping to be considered for jobs down the line. It's also a form of networking.
Brown doesn't need that exposure though. He's already near the front of the line. Flying out to Boston to talk to Robert Kraft would be a true waste of his time.