Eliot Wolf Brings ‘Packer Way’ as Patriots’ Unofficial GM
INDIANAPOLIS – From 2004 through 2017, Eliot Wolf climbed the Green Bay Packers’ personnel ladder. In 2018, he was in the mix to replaced Ted Thompson as general manager. His father, the Hall of Famer Ron Wolf, won a Super Bowl championship in that position in 1996.
That job, however, went to Brian Gutekunst. Wolf accepted a position with the Browns.
Finally, Wolf’s time has arrived. Officially, he is the New England Patriots’ director of scouting. In reality, he is the team’s unofficial GM.
“My time in Green Bay meant everything,” Wolf said at the Scouting Combine on Tuesday. “It’s where I learned my foundation of scouting, leadership, how to treat people, how to deal with people. Really, just everything in terms of the business of football, and it’s prepared me for this moment to help the New England Patriots get back to where we need to go.”
Wolf was part of some star-studded front offices in Green Bay. John Schneider has been general manager of the Seahawks since 2010. John Dorsey became general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns. Reggie McKenzie became general manager of the Raiders. Gutekunst is in his seventh year running the Packers. Alonzo Highsmith is a right-hand man as Wolf leads the Patriots into a new era.
“The front office I worked with in Green Bay was phenomenal,” Wolf said. “When I look back at those times and the amount of guys that have gone on to great success in this league, and Ted was at the forefront of that. Ted was so humble and so introspective, and just taking a lot of things from him will help me as I move forward in my career.”
Thompson had his own style, and Wolf learned well. At one point on Tuesday, he was asked if he planned on being aggressive in free agency.
“We’re going to aggressively try to help the team. Take that however you want it,” he said. “We will try to do what’s right. Whether that means spending or saving, TBD.”
While this might be the 41-year-old’s first Scouting Combine running a team, he is no stranger to Indianapolis. He said this is his 30th Combine.
“My first trip to the Combine was 1993. I was 10 years old,” he said. “I’ve been here every year except for 2021, when they didn’t have it [due to COVID]. The Combine now is so much more organized than it used to be. The workout was supposed to start at 10 back in the ’90s and maybe it would start at 1. Everybody would be sitting in the dome the whole time.
“It was crazy. There were no formal interview times. It was just a big scrum of people, grabbing guys. There were scouts and coaches fighting each other because they wanted to interview so many prospects. It was kind of wild.”
At the time, Wolf was tagging along with his dad on what wound up being a preordained path.
“I was just dipping my toes into scouting and watching the workouts and evaluating,” he said. “My dad used to sit down at the start of the 40s and it was him, Bill Parcells and Al Davis, and I was just sitting there like soaking it all up. It was tremendously rewarding. As I look back on it, it was definitely a special time.”
The Patriots aren’t just being led by a former Packers scout. A grading system for prospects similar to the one used in Green Bay has come along for the ride.
“Super-excited for him. Couldn’t be happier,” Gutekunst said. “He’s going to do great. Certainly, well-deserving. He’s a talented dude and I think he’s going to do a great job there.”
Of course, no one was a big influence on Wolf than his father. What did he learn?
“In terms of scouting itself, trust what you see and believe in it,” Wolf said. “Also, really, lessons about people. I still believe this is a people business. And it’s about developing people. The culture is created from people in your building, whether that’s scouts, coaches, players, support staff, and I think that’s tremendously important as you try to build a culture.”
Under Bill Belichick, the Patriots won six Super Bowls. It was the “Patriot Way.” Now, with Wolf bringing a green-and-gold viewpoint, it will be the “Packer Way.”
“The ‘Packer Way,’” Wolf explained, “is draft-and-develop, extend your core performers from within. It’s about honesty respect and treating people the right way.”
