The New England Patriots may be getting a new logo ahead of the 2024 NFL season.
The New England Patriots are going through a transformative offseason, up and down the organization. The decision-makers, the coaching staff, and the roster are all looking completely different with the departure of Bill Belichick.
De facto general manager Eliot Wolf and new head coach Jerod Mayo are making an effort to put their stamps on things, from drafting strategy to free agency approach. Now it looks like they even have their hands in changing the branding of the franchise.
It has already been reported that Mayo changed the slogans inside the Gillette Stadium, putting his own touch on the mantras. It looks like the changes are not going to stop there as an accidental leak over the weekend suggests that there is a new alternate logo for the new season.
New Alternate Patriots Logo May Have Been Revealed
Felt like old times at @patriots headquarters catching up with my old teammates and my good friend Robert Kraft really appreciate our friendship !!! #PatriotsNation
❤️💙❤️💙 #Patriots pic.twitter.com/9QD1KtHs09— BrandonSpikes55 (@brandonspikes55) May 3, 2024
Former Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes visited the team and Gillette Stadium on Friday. There, he not only posted a photo with owner Robert Kraft, but he also took a few photos around the headquarters.
His social media post revealed a new alternate logo that fans hadn’t seen before. Even though it is a more modern and sleek design, a lot of Patriots fans were unsure about the new branding.
This alternate #Patriots logo has now been spotted a couple times throughout Gillette.
How would you feel about this becoming New England’s standard design?
(📸 @PatriotsDrive) pic.twitter.com/xy4j65ucdW
— Carlos Talks Pats (@LosTalksPats) May 4, 2024
Patriots fans were long calling for a rebrand. The current logo feels outdated and a new design would be a nice touch to usher in the new post-Belichick era. Whether this alternate logo satisfies that need is another question.
How much the new logo will be used remains to be seen. Perhaps it’s only a merchandising move. Regardless of the motivation, we are very curious to see whether it sticks in the long run.
New England Patriots likely facing massive hurdle in search for new general manager
After firing head coach and general manager Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots immediately named his replacement by promoting Jerod Mayo to head coach. However, since cutting ties with the future Hall of Famer, the Patriots general manager seat has remained vacant.
New England opted not to hire a general manager before the 2024 NFL Draft, instead having team president Jonathan Kraft and director of player personnel Eliot Wolf oversee the process along with the assistant of the Patriots front office staff.
With the 2024 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror, bringing in quarterback Drake Maye to be the new face of the franchise, Patriots owner Robert Kraft is now overseeing a search for a new general manager.
However, one of the top general manager candidates in the NFL has already rejected New England. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Cincinnati Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown rejected a request from the Patriots’ organization to meet for an interview. Brown is widely viewed as one of the top candidates to become a general manager next year.
Brown’s decision seems to reflect a sentiment that is shared around the league by other top NFL executives. As Ben Volin of the Boston Globe suggested, the Patriots are likely encountering difficulties getting external candidates to come in for interviews due to the perception that Wolf is guaranteed to get the job.
Wolf has already served as the de-facto general manager in New England since Belichick was fired. He oversaw the pre-draft process and seemingly made the final decisions on turning down trade offers for the No. 3 overall pick and then choosing Maye over J.J. McCarthy.
The feeling around the league about the Patriots’ general manager search is also likely accurate. Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston recently reported that the search is viewed as a “formality” with Wolf the overwhelming favorite to essentially serve as the Patriots general manager.
“My understanding is this is an actual formality. There is a formal process that the Patriots have to go through to elevate Eliot Wolf to be their primary football executive. I don’t believe the title he’ll get eventually is general manager. That’s not a title that the Krafts have handed out since they’ve owned the team. But the expectation — in league circles and people I’ve spoken to just in the last few hours — is that Eliot Wolf will get the job. I would be stunned if he doesn’t get the job. He is the overwhelming favorite. So they have to go through this. They have to check this box to be able to elevate him to that position and name him that primary football executive, and that’s what they’re doing right now.”
Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston on the New England Patriots general manager search
With New England having already complied with the NFL’s Rooney Rule, it should only be a matter of time before the team announces Wolf’s promotion. Fittingly, though, it seems Kraft doesn’t want anyone in the organization to have the title of general manager.
With Belichick out of the building and Wolf’s promotion imminent, Kraft’s son – team president Jonathan Kraft – is seemingly poised to have more control over football operations moving forward.
