Robert Kraft has made his decision on who is going to succeed Bill Belichick on the field. After playing for the Patriots from 2008-2015 and coaching the team for the last five seasons, Jerod Mayo has been hired as the next head coach for New England, but who is going to take over for Belichick and lead the front office?

Trey brown, Senior Personnel Executive, Cincinnati Bengals

The current senior personnel executive for the Cincinnati Bengals, Trey Brown joined the organization as a scout in 2021 and was promoted to his current role the following year.

The Bengals have enjoyed much success since he stepped into his executive role, going a combined 21-12 with a trip to the AFC Championship last season.

Brown also has ties to New England. He started his administration career there as a scout from 2010-12.

New England has a front office on the smaller side with not a lot of people responsible for a lot of work. Similarly, the Bengals have the smallest front office in the NFL, so Brown has experience working in an environment similar to the Patriots.

The Raiders requested an interview with Brown for their general manager vacancy, and it will be interesting to see if the Patriots do the same.

Thomas dimitroff, Former General Manager, Atlanta Falcons

Possibly the most interesting candidate out of them all, Dimitroff has plenty of experience in executive roles.

Dimitroff served as a scout for the Patriots way back in 2002 before being promoted to director of college scouting the following year - a role in which he held from 2003-2007.

Following his success with New England, Dimitroff was hired by the Atlanta Falcons as their general manager. He served in his role for 13 seasons before being fired amid the 2020 season.

During his stint in Atlanta, Dimitroff enjoyed much success. The team accumulated a 109-87 record and made the playoffs six times, with an infamous trip to Super Bowl LI against the Patriots.

Dimitroff was also recognized for his success by being named NFL Executive of the Year in 2008 and 2010 - one of four general managers to win the award multiple times since the turn of the new millennium.

Since being released from his duties with the Falcons, Dimitroff has moved on to become the chief executive officer of SumerSports. 

It is unlikely Dimitroff leaves his role, but the Patriots’ opening could be the one to lure him back into an NFL front office.

Dave ziegler, Former General Manager, Las Vegas Raiders

Unlike Dimitroff, Ziegler did not enjoy much success in his time as a general manager before getting canned. However, like the rest of the executives on this list, he has ties to New England.

Ziegler got his start in the NFL with the Denver Broncos, working under various scouting titles. He was hired by New England in 2013 as the assistant director of pro scouting and worked his way up to director of player personnel in 2021.

He held the position for only a year before he was hired as the general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Ziegler made some major mistakes in his short time in the position, bringing on Josh McDaniels as head coach and signing Jimmy Garoppolo as their starting quarterback.

He, along with McDaniels, was let go from their respective positions on October 31.

Ziegler can work his reputation back up, coming into a very familiar situation with New England, an organization that viewed him as a potential successor to Belichick while he was here.

Matt groh, Current Director of Player Personnel, New England Patriots

Groh is the current director of player personnel for the Patriots, a role he has held for the past two seasons.

He was promoted to the role following 11 years of working in various scouting roles with the organization.

He also has a step above other candidates by being a native of Massachusetts, just like Robert Kraft.

It’s an interesting scenario for Groh, as he was - at least - partially responsible for the team that the Patriots fielded the past two years.

It’s unusual for a head coach to be hired before the general manager. Normally, the hiring of an HC is a decision made by the GM. This bodes well for Groh, assuming that Kraft will avoid the whole interviewing process and hire from within the organization, just as he did with Mayo.

With the NFL Draft around the corner and little time to waste, expect a decision to be made within the next week.