Patriots promote Groh to director of player personnel

Published Feb. 15, 2022 4:04 p.m. ET

Associated Press

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots have filled a key vacancy in their front office, promoting Matt Groh to director of player personnel.

Groh assumes the post vacated by Dave Ziegler after he left to become general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders. Ziegler joined former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who was hired as the Raiders' new head coach last month.

Groh is entering his 12th season in New England and spent last season as the team's college scouting director. He originally joined the organization in 2011 as a scouting assistant and also spent six seasons as an area scout and two as a national scout.

Grob is the son of longtime NFL and college coach Al Groh, who served as the Patriots defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 1993 to 1996. The elder Groh coached alongside Bill Belichick when both were assistants with the New York Giants. Groh was linebackers coach in 1989 and 1990 when Belichick was the Giants’ defensive coordinator.

Following last April's NFL draft, Belichick lauded the work of Mike Groh, Ziegler and scouting consultant Eliot Wolf, whom he said “carried the ball” throughout the team's draft process.

Wolf interviewed for open GM jobs following this past season, but remains on staff. He also was sent by the Patriots alongside Groh earlier this month to evaluate college prospects at the annual Senior Bowl.

Groh's hiring comes a week after New England rehired former special teams coordinator Joe Judge as an offensive assistant less than a month after he was fired as head coach of the Giants.

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