TODAY, 5:10pm: While initial reports painted Ryan Cowden as the No. 2 behind front office leader Eliot Wolf, new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel hinted that the arrangement may not be so cut and dry. During his introductory press conference, Vrabel said the team’s front office approach would feature a “shared organizational vision” (per Mike Giardi of Boston Sports Journal).
Vrabel said he’s already had many conversations with Wolf, although it sounds like a conversation about the front office dynamic is still to come. When discussing Cowden’s involvement in the operations, Vrabel said “nothing has been determined” while hinting that he’ll have conversations with Wolf about the definitive structure (via Giardi). At the very least, it sounds like New England’s new head coach will also have a heavy influence on how the front office operates.
TODAY, 2:40pm: Giants executive Ryan Cowden is joining the Patriots’ front office to reunite with new head coacch Mike Vrabel, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Cowden was the executive advisor to Giants general manager Joe Schoen for the last two years, but the team let him out of his contract so he can pursue this new opportunity.
Cowden is expected to be the “de facto No. 2” to Patriots general manager Eliot Wolf, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, with a title “along the lines of VP of player personnel.” He began his front office career as a scouting assistant for the Panthers in 2000 and worked his way up to assistant director of college scouting by his departure in 2015. Cowden was then hired by the Titans to be the director of player personnel and was promoted to vice president when Vrabel came on as Tennessee’s head coach in 2018.
After the Titans fired GM Jon Robinson during the 2022 season, Cowden finished out the year on an interim basis. He was Vrabel’s preferred choice to take over the front office, but the Titans went with Ron Carthon instead. Not only did that lead to Cowden’s departure from Tennessee, it also raised tensions between Vrabel and the rest of the Titans’ leadership.
Two years later, Cowden and Vrabel are reunited in New England where they hope to turn around years of post-Tom Brady stagnation. The Patriots have a few promising players on each side of the ball, including recent first-rounders Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez, but most of the roster needs a facelift as does a culture that lacked accountability and vision from Jerod Mayo.