The New England Patriots The New England Patriots are looking for a new general manager for the first time in 24 years, following Bill Belichick's tenure in that role.
One person not in the running for the job is Cincinnati Bengals Trey Brown, a senior personnel executive for the Cincinnati Bengals, has reportedly turned down a request to interview for the position, according to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The Patriots appointed Jerod Mayo as their new head coach the day after parting ways with Belichick.
"#Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown has declined a request to interview for the #Patriots de facto GM position, per source," Pelissero posted on his X account."Brown will remain a top GM candidate in next year’s cycle."Brown has a long history with the Patriots, starting in their scouting department in 2010 and continuing until 2012. He also worked as the Director of College Scouting for the Philadelphia Eagles when they won Super Bowl LII in 2017.
Brown has been with the Bengals since 2021. Philadelphia Eagless when they defeated the Patriots in Super Bowl LII after the 2017 season.
Brown has been with the Bengals since 2021.
Brown Has Built Teams From Scratch
Brown has a unique background as a football executive, having built an entire professional team from scratch on two occasions.
After leaving the Eagles in 2018, Brown became the executive vice president of football operations for the Alliance of American Football’s Birmingham Iron in 2019. However, the AAF folded after one season.
In 2020, Brown worked as the director of player personnel for the XFL’s St. Louis BattleHawks before the league ceased play due to the pandemic and subsequently declared bankruptcy.
"I believe this allowed me to work with exceptional individuals and gain experience that wouldn’t be attainable in the NFL due to existing players and contracts,” Brown stated to NFL.com about his time with the Iron in 2019. NFL.com’s Herbie Teope about the Iron in 2019. "When we took this thing in December, there were no players on the roster, so you’re going from building everything from scratch, which is a unique opportunity, and you get a chance to gain some experience to learn."
Interviewed for NFL GM Positions in the Past
Brown, a Kansas native, played college football for UCLA and was a second-team Associated Press All-American cornerback in 2007. He signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2008 and played a season with the UFL’s New York Sentinels in 2009. Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2008 and played one season with the UFL’s New York Sentinels in 2009.
Brown has previously interviewed for NFL general manager positions with the Buffalo Bills in 2017, and twice with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders in 2018 and 2022. three times in the past, with the Buffalo Bills in 2017 and twice with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders in 2018 and 2022.
Brown has deep ties to the NFL, as his father, Theotis Brown II, was a standout running back at UCLA and was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the second round of the 1979 NFL Draft. St. Louis Cardinals in the second round of the 1979 NFL Draft.
Theotis’ career was cut short by a heart attack in 1984 while playing for the Kansas City Chiefs and he took on the job of handling community relations and selling tickets for the team — he also occasionally brought his son to work with him.
Brown considers former Chiefs’ general manager Carl Peterson as one of his mentors.
“I’ve had the opportunity to be influenced by many different individuals,” Brown stated to Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson in 2021.
