FOXBORO — The search is over.

The Patriots named Eliot Wolf as their new executive vice president of player personnel, the team announced Saturday.

“Wolf’s responsibilities will include the overall direction of the personnel department, the management of the salary cap and in control of the 53-man roster,” the team said in a statement.

Wolf’s previous title of “director of scouting” was unchanged during the early portion of the offseason but he served as the team’s de facto general manager.

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“As I have started multiple times during the offseason, the plan was to observe the working relationship and involvement between Eliot and Jerod and see how they managed our offseason personnel decisions,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement. “Then, following the draft we would formally undertake a process for setting up the permanent structure of our personnel department. I have been impressed with Eliot’s management style and experience and I’m excited that he has agreed to take on this new position.”

The Patriots interviewed Eagles director of scouting Brandon Hunt and former Panthers executive Samir Suleiman for the job before officially promoting Wolf.

“It is an honor to accept this position with the New England Patriots,” Wolf said. “I am grateful to the Kraft family for this opportunity and want to thank my family, especially my wife and children, for the support and strength they have given me as I move forward in my new role. I also want to thank all of the people I have worked with and learned from over the years.”

Wolf was hired as a scouting consultant in 2020 after working in Packers’ front office from 2004 to 2017 and with the Browns in 2018 and 2019. His father, Ron Wolf, is a Pro Football Hall of Famer for his work as the Packers’ former general manager.

The Patriots had to comply with the Rooney Rule, by interviewing two outside minority candidates, before naming Wolf as their new top personnel executive. They were rejected in interview requests by multiple minority candidates before speaking with Hunt and Suleiman.

The post opened when the team parted ways with head coach Bill Belichick, who also held GM duties, in January. The team was able to hire Jerod Mayo as head coach without adhering to the Rooney Rule because there was a succession plan written into Mayo’s contract.

The Patriots have not had a “general manager” in title since Kraft became owner in 1994.