The New England Patriots have made two new additions to their front office this week.
The Athletic reported Wednesday that the Patriots "are finalizing a deal" with University of Miami executive Alonzo Highsmith to "add him to their front office as an executive in personnel with a job title that’s not yet determined."
Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reported Wednesday that Bobby Brown is joining the Patriots in "a key executive administrative role," leaving his current job as the Texans’ associate director of football administration.
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Brown previously spent seven seasons with the Patriots, so he's plenty familiar with the organization.
Highsmith, who played six seasons in the NFL after a stellar collegiate career with Miami, was a senior executive with the Green Bay Packers from 2012 through 2017. While in Green Bay, he worked alongside Eliot Wolf, who is the Patriots' director of scouting.
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Highsmith also was the vice president of player personnel for the Cleveland Browns in 2018 and 2019. Wolf was the Browns' assistant general manager during that time. Highsmith worked as a personnel executive for the Seattle Seahawks from 2020 to 2022. He was named GM of football operations at the University of Miami in 2022.
In total, Highsmith has almost 30 years of experience as a player, scout and exec.
The Patriots do not have a general manager role in their front office right now. Director of player personnel Matt Groh and Wolf appear to be running the show.
And based on all the recent hires with connections to Wolf, it seems like he has plenty of influence in the organization. In addition to Highsmith, three of the Patriots' recent coaching hires -- offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, offensive assistant Ben McAdoo and defensive line coach Jeremy Montgomery -- all were in Green Bay during some of Wolf's tenure there from 2004 through 2017.