NEWS NOW: Following his contract signing with the Patriots, a senior executive of the Cleveland Browns reunites with another top executive of the organisation

The Patriots are hiring longtime NFL executive and former player Alonzo Highsmith to their front office in a role yet to be determined, according to The Athletic.

Highsmith’s arrival indicates Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf has expanding influence within the organization. Highsmith and Wolf climbed the Packers’ front office together from 2004-17, then left for Cleveland for two seasons. Wolf later joined the Patriots in 2020 as a consultant, while Highsmith left to become a senior executive advisor in Seattle and later the general manager of football operations at the University of Miami in 2022.

Highsmith has 23 years of experience in NFL front offices. He joined Green Bay’s staff as a college scout in 1999 and has spent most of his career in college scouting. The 58-year-old originally entered the league as the No. 3 overall pick in the 1987 draft as a running back out of Miami. Highsmith was a college star for the Hurricanes, but lasted just six seasons as an NFL player.

His addition follows several outside coaching hires with connections to Wolf. Last week, the Patriots hired ex-Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who has since brought in former Giants head coach and Packers assistant Ben McAdoo and ex-Browns assistant T.C. McCartney to be the team’s new quarterbacks coach.

Inside the Patriots front office, director of player personnel Matt Groh is the highest-ranking holdover from the Bill Belichick era. Groh recently led a contingent of scouts to the Senior Bowl, an annual showcase for college prospects. His background is primarily in college scouting, and unlike Wolf and Highsmith, Groh has only ever worked in New England.

Last month, owner Robert Kraft said he wanted more time to assess his top personnel evaluators after parting with head coach Bill Belichick, who also had final say over the roster. Groh and Wolf are the Patriots’ top in-house executives.