Patriots Hire 2 to Front Office

FOXBORO — In addition to rounding out the staff of new head coach Jerod Mayo, the New England Patriots are also augmenting their front office — seemingly with a familiar face at the helm.

The Patriots, per The Athletic, are finalizing a deal with former University of Miami general managers of football operations Alonzo Highsmith. The 58-year-old is expected to join the Pats’ front office as a “personnel executive.”

Additionally, New England (per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson) is also in the final stages of hiring former Houston Texans associate director of football administration Bobby Brown for a key role in the Pats administration.

Both Highsmith and Brown are expected to work closely with Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf — who is presumed to be heading the team’s personnel department — in a “powers that be” structure, which also includes collegiate scouting director Matt Groh and front office “jack of all trades” Pat Stewart.

Highsmith has served as general manager of football operations at Miami since 2022. However, his ties to the area began in the 1980s as a high school standout at Christopher Columbus, and then for the University as a fullback/running back — winning a national championship with the Hurricanes in 1983. His pro career spanned six seasons (1987-92) and included stops with the Houston Oilers, Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

His first front office role came in 2012 as a senior personnel executive with the Green Bay Packers — working with Wolf until 2017. After Wolf’s departure to become the Cleveland Browns assistant general manager in 2018, Highsmith followed — serving as the vice president of player personnel for two years. He joined the Seattle Seahawks’ personnel department before the move to Miami in 2022.

Brown’s hiring marks his second tour of duty in New England. He previously served with the Patriots for nearly seven years (from 2016-22) working in roles which included associate director of football administration, coordinator of football operations and team travel and as a football operations assistant. He also briefly worked in the football equipment department at Boston College, where he subsequently received his master’s degree in athletic administration.

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In 2023, Brown joined the Texans’ salary cap department, where he worked alongside his brother, Andrew — who oversees salary cap and contract matters. While his job title has yet to be confirmed, Brown may serve in a similar capacity under Wolf in New England.