The New England Patriots want to fill a position that until recently was held by Bill Belichick. However, the franchise has now received a rejection

The search for a new Chief of Football Operations is underway at the New England Patriots. The number one candidate for the position is said to be scouting director Eliot Wolf, who has been acting as a kind of general manager since the departure of coaching legend Bill Belichick.

But the Rooney Rule also applies to the Patriots. This is the rule that obliges franchises to interview at least two minority candidates when making relevant appointments.

The Pats have now made such a request to Trey Brown. However, the Cincinnati Bengals’ head of personnel declined the interview request from Foxborough, according to “NFL Media”. The reason for this is not known.

However, since there is already a candidate for the position in Wolf, it could well happen even more frequently that requests from the Patriots are turned down.

Brown has applied for the GM position three times in his career: 2017 with the Bills, 2018 with the Raiders, and again in 2022 with the Raiders. He led college scouting for the Philadelphia Eagles and worked for both the AAF and the XFL. He has been with the Bengals since 2021.

Until his dismissal after last season, Belichick had served as head coach and GM in one person. Jerod Mayo has already been installed as the new head coach, but there is no general manager yet.