Report: Cardinals personnel exec Quentin Harris declines interview with Patriots

Word on Monday was that Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown has declined an interview with the Patriots as they search for a new head of football operations and Tuesday brings word of another potential candidate who won’t be interviewing.

Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports that Cardinals vice president of player personnel Quentin Harris has also passed on the chance to speak to the team. Harris has interviewed for a handful of General Manager openings in recent seasons.

Scouting director Eliot Wolf has been serving as the de facto G.M. in New England since Bill Belichick’s departure and many see him as the likely choice for the job, which is likely a contributing factor to why other candidates might decline to take part in interviews that would be viewed as checking boxes for the Rooney Rule rather than putting them in serious consideration to be hired.

Another report on Monday indicated the Patriots have already complied with the Rooney Rule and that they are not seeking interviews on that front, but that report did not include information about the two outside candidates who have interviewed for the position. If that is the case and Wolf is the choice, there would be nothing standing in the way of the hire.