FOXBORO — The Patriots can’t afford to lose Nick Caserio.

They can absolutely afford to keep him.

Caserio is again a coveted commodity as teams are seeking to fill key voids, and the 49ers are hoping to woo him as their general manager. The Patriots director of player personnel interviewed with the Dolphins in 2014, and he’ll almost certainly continue to receive similar propositions unless he earns a more prominent job title because teams can’t request to interview contracted employees for lateral movement.

Caserio, who is under contract with the Patriots through at least 2020, makes about $2 million per year, according to a source. It’s decent money, but don’t underestimate a team like the 49ers that may covet him so passionately that they would offer double his salary.

The 41-year-old undoubtedly enjoys his place with the Patriots, but it’d be irresponsible to discount the human element of this process. While the pay raise could be significant, the opportunity to turn around a franchise as rich as the 49ers could be undeniably enticing. It might even be Hall of Fame-worthy depending on the long-term success of such a venture.

Remember, former Patriots vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli was always happy with the organization and his working relationship with Bill Belichick, but the Chiefs reeled him in as their general manager in 2009. The chance to have the final say in a front office was too salivating to ignore.

Like Pioli, maybe the Patriots won’t ever give Caserio the general manager tag. If that remains off the table, a significant salary bump could keep his mind from wandering when opponents request a job interview. Or if the Pats do elevate his title, the symbolic promotion wouldn’t necessarily need to be accompanied by Caserio having final say over the roster, which belongs to Belichick. Just use the Seahawks as an example, as coach Pete Carroll runs the show while general manager John Schneider works in harmony alongside him.

Caserio’s value can’t be undersold. Of course, he takes the lead on negotiations with contracts and trades. Last offseason when the Patriots courted restricted free agent Chris Hogan, Belichick’s sit-down with the wide receiver never touched on money. When they parted, Belichick affirmed to Hogan that Caserio would ensure the deal would be executed, and they struck a creative three-year, $12 million pact.

Caserio also orchestrated recent trades for tight end Martellus Bennett, cornerback Eric Rowe and linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Barkevious Mingo. And Caserio’s pro personnel department properly scouted linebacker Shea McClellin, defensive end Chris Long and Hogan before the offseason signings. To varying degrees, those veterans were discarded by their former employers before fitting in seamlessly with the Patriots.

Caserio’s role has increased substantially since 2013 when Floyd Reese departed, though he has had the same job title since 2008. It took a certain level of on-the-job training to master these negotiating tactics, so the loss of him would serve as a setback from that perspective, even if they elevated their trusted director of college scouting Monti Ossenfort.

There’s a reason for Caserio’s comfort level within the front office as it has translated to his ability to locate well-suited players for the system. Caserio attends virtually every practice, a Belichick mandate that he picked up from Bill Parcells, and he re-watches every practice tape in his office. Caserio frequently meets with the entire coaching staff and exchanges player evaluations, so he understands precisely what type of player each positional coach wants in his room.

Caserio, who beat out Josh McDaniels at quarterback at John Carroll University, also enjoys the chance to be more actively involved at practice, particularly during positional drills.

“He still thinks he’s a quarterback,” Jimmy Garoppolo laughed. “He gets in there and mixes it up a little bit.”

Caserio’s longstanding bond with McDaniels has served the Patriots well on game days, too. Caserio is wired into McDaniels’ headset so he can relay defensive personnel notes that can help with the Pats’ offensive play calls.

So again, this is not someone the Patriots should want to lose, even if Caserio has little desire to leave. Former Pats front-office gurus Bob Quinn (Lions), Jon Robinson (Titans), Jason Licht (Buccaneers), Thomas Dimitroff and Pioli (Falcons) all led their franchises to major turnarounds in 2016, and Caserio is as highly regarded around the league as all of them, if not even more so.

There’s no need for the Patriots to allow another organization to reap the benefits of Caserio’s rapid ascension when they’ve got the means to keep him in place in Foxboro.