The Kansas City Chiefs have formally announced the hiring of Scott Pioli as general manager today.
Pioli, 43, has been with the Patriots for nine years and won a pair of Sporting News Executive of the Year awards. While the Chiefs were 2-14 a season ago, they are not a hopeless situation. They are expected to be approximately $30 million under the salary cap and own the No. 3 overall selection in the draft.
“Scott Pioli was an integral part of the many championships the New England Patriots have celebrated this decade and I would like to thank him for his countless contributions throughout the past nine seasons." --Patriots Owner Robert Kraft
"To sum up in words everything Scott Pioli has meant to this organization and to me personally would be difficult, if not impossible. From the day I met him, he has demonstrated a passion for football and respect for the game that is second to none. It has been extremely gratifying for me to follow Scott's career ascension from the bottom of the totem pole in Cleveland to his place as a pillar of championship teams in New England. Now with the opportunity to steer his own ship and a vision of building a winner, there is no more capable, hardworking, loyal, team-oriented person than Scott Pioli." -- Patriots Coach Bill Belichick
Pioli is the second significant departure from the Patriots' staff this week. Yesterday, 32-year-old Josh McDaniels, who had been the teams offensive coordinator for three seasons, signed a four-year contract worth $8 million to replace Mike Shanahan as head coach of the Denver Broncos.
Pioli's most likely replacement with the Patriots, director of player personnel Nick Caserio, was already generating buzz as a future GM in his own right, particularly following the success of his predecessor Thomas Dimitroff in Atlanta. Caserio recently was mentioned by Browns owner Randy Lerner as a candidate for Cleveland's GM opening.
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