Per an NFL spokesperson, as part of any search for a “primary football position,” a team has to follow the Rooney Rule. So, if the Patriots name one person to the primary role in charge of personnel, they must first satisfy the Rooney Rule by interviewing two minority candidates in person.

Patriots’ general manager search has yet to satisfy Rooney Rule requirements, new reports clarify The New England Patriots’ search for a new head of football operations has begun in earnest with the NFL Draft in the books,