Sometimes a promotion isn’t really a promotion. At least not in the case of Howie Roseman, who oversaw the Philadelphia Eagles’ free agency and draft strategy from 2010 to 2014, only to have those duties stripped and given to then-head coach Chip Kelly.
Kelly proceeded to run the team while Roseman managed salary and off-the-field staff. But when Kelly was fired five days before the final game of the 2015 regular season, the franchise gave Roseman another crack at being general manager.
He hasn’t looked back.
“As it turned out, it was probably the best thing that ever happened to me,” Roseman said on NBC’s “ProFootballTalk” in 2018. “Did I ever think I would be back in a significant position in Philadelphia? No. I don’t think that I did. But I was just determined that I was going to try to do the right thing every day and get better and learn more.”
Since having been reinstated in that role, Roseman has led the Eagles to three Super Bowl appearances — a win in 2017, the first in franchise history — and four NFC East titles. Philadelphia faces the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday for another league championship.
“His career is at an absolute apex right now,” Michael Barkann said on NBC Sports Philadelphia’s postgame show after the Eagles defeated the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game. “He’s won general manager of the year, he might win it again, and he might win it many, many, more times the way he’s constructed this Eagles team.”
NBC Sports’ Reuben Frank said, “He’s one win away from the Hall of Fame, most likely.”
The Eagles got here largely thanks to smart offseason moves by Roseman. Here were the decisions that led to arguably the most talented roster in the NFL today.
April 2020: Drafts quarterback Jalen Hurts 53rd overall out of Oklahoma
Philadelphia selected Hurts in the second round after his stellar play at both Oklahoma and Alabama, where he started his college career before a transfer. Hurts began as a backup behind Carson Wentz, but poor play by Wentz led Hurts to get playing time late in his rookie season. He never gave the job back.
Though he is only 6-foot-1, his physique and speed make him a perfect dual-threat quarterback. And while he has the ability to take off and run (and execute the “tush push” play better than anyone else in the NFL), his passing ability is also strong. This season he completed a career-high 68.7% of his attempts.
At 46-20 as a starter, Hurts again has Philadelphia on the verge of winning the Lombardi Trophy.
March 2020: Trades with Lions for cornerback Darius Slay
Roseman traded a third-round pick (No. 85 overall) and a fifth-round pick (No. 166) in 2020 to get the star defensive back. Slay immediately signed a three-year, $50 million extension to remain in Philadelphia.
Slay, a six-time Pro Bowler, was a key contributor to both the NFC champion team in 2022 and this year’s title contender. He had 13 passes deflected during the regular season, 13th most in the league. In three postseason games this year, he has 10 solo tackles and an interception.
April 2021: Trades up to take wide receiver DeVonta Smith 10th overall out of Alabama
Philadelphia traded the No. 12 pick and the No. 84 pick in the 2021 draft for the 10th selection and took Smith, the Heisman Trophy winner, to bolster its pass-catcher corps. He has been that and more. Over four seasons, Smith has 308 receptions for 4,011 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Smith has become the perfect complement to star wideout A.J. Brown (more on that in a second) because of his elite speed, shiftiness and strong hands. His route running and separation against defensive backs are also among the NFL’s best.
Smith, 26, could be a difference maker Sunday against a Kansas City secondary that ranks in the middle of the league in most categories.
September 2021: Tackle Jordan Mailata signs three-year, $64 million extension
Mailata, a former Australian rugby player, was drafted as a flier in the seventh round of the 2018 draft. Flash forward to 2024 and he anchors one of the best offensive lines in football.
Pro Football Focus ranks Mailata as the best offensive tackle in the NFL. According to ESPN Analytics, he “wins” 92% of his matchups on passing plays. Oh, and he’s instrumental on the tush push.
Mailata has signed three different contracts (this extension and then a new three-year deal last offseason) to tie him to the Eagles through the 2028 season.
April 2022: Trades with Saints in a deal that eventually nets receiver A.J. Brown and DT Jalen Carter
Philadelphia sent New Orleans the 16th overall pick, the 19th overall pick and a sixth-rounder in exchange for No. 18 overall, a third-rounder, a seventh-rounder, a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick.
The move proved to be a long-term gold mine. Roseman took the first- and third-round selections from that deal and flipped them in a trade with the Tennessee Titans for Brown.
The 2023 first-round pick they got from the Saints? The Eagles used it to trade up with the Chicago Bears for the ninth overall pick and took defensive tackle Jalen Carter out of Georgia.
Brown, a three-time Pro Bowler, is now one of the best receivers in the NFL. He had 67 receptions for 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns this season. He’s coming off a monster performance in the NFC title game: six catches for 96 yards and a score.
Carter, meanwhile, is a force up front. He’s recognized as one of the top interior defensive linemen in the league, consistently getting in the backfield for quarterback pressures or run stops.
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March 2024: Signs safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to three-year deal
The Eagles brought back Gardner-Johnson — who starred on their 2022 Super Bowl team — after a brief stint with the Detroit Lions on a three-year, $33 million deal. He played 16 games this season with six interceptions (third in the league) and 12 pass breakups (18th).
April 2024: Drafts defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean
Philadelphia took Mitchell 22nd overall out of Toledo. It then traded both of its second-round picks (No. 50 and No. 53) and a fifth-rounder to Washington for No. 40 and No. 78. The former ended up being DeJean of Iowa, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2023.
Major contributors to the NFL’s No. 1 defense as rookies, they have thrived in their first postseason.
Mitchell has allowed only five catches on 15 targets for 24 yards with two interceptions and four pass breakups this postseason, according to NextGen Stats. DeJean has 15 tackles and three pass breakups over the three games.
Both players were among the five finalists for NFL defensive rookie of the year.
March 2024: Signs running back Saquon Barkley to a three-year deal
This wasn’t just among the best decisions of the last year; it may go down as one of the best moves in NFL history. The New York Giants signed quarterback Daniel Jones to a four-year, $160 million deal in March 2023 and tagged Barkley to keep him around another season. The following offseason they opted to let their star running back hit the free agent market rather than pay him what he felt he was valued at.
The Eagles did — with a three-year, $37.75 million contract — and it has been worth that and then some. Barkley led the league with 2,005 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. He has 442 yards on 66 carries (a 6.7-yard average) and five rushing scores this postseason alone.
Barkley, 27, is a finalist for NFL MVP and a main reason Philadelphia could win a Super Bowl.
The Giants, meanwhile, cut Jones midseason. He was seen in Barkley’s suite earlier in the playoffs cheering on his friend and former teammate. For New York fans, it doesn’t get much worse than that.
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