Howie Roseman’s run of success in all things general manager has been one of the biggest contributors to the Eagles’ sustained Super Bowl contender status and one decision is set to define his legacy
When the Eagles won the Super Bowl in February of 2018, it truly felt like a stars-aligning moment for the franchise. However, it was the crescendo for one of the most successful runs a general manager has ever had in the NFL that had already started in the years prior. Howie Roseman started as an intern with the Eagles in 2000 and has since climbed his way up the ranks, fully becoming the GM in 2010. While there have been some huge missteps, especially early on, Howie has led the charge in quite an impressive manner. In his 15 years as the general manager or above the Eagles have only had a losing record four times. They have made the playoffs nine times, won two NFC Titles, and won Super Bowl 52. Howie Roseman himself is a two-time PFWA Executive of the Year. This article is not going to be a detailed list of every move Roseman ever made, but focus on the point that I truly think shifted the Eagles to a next-level organization. It was not winning the Super Bowl. Things actually started to appear to fall downward after that victory. There was one move that set the Eagles up for the current run of success they have carried since 2020. That move and its rippling effects will be the defining moment of the Howie Roseman era of Eagles’ football.
There may be no decision more impactful in the history of the Eagles than the decision to trade Carson Wentz. Now this is not a piece designed to bury Carson. You will actually find quite the opposite opinion here. While for a brief moment, Wentz appeared to be the best QB ever to put on an Eagles jersey and it is in large part his 11-2 start in 2017 that helped launch this team to a Super Bowl victory. There is a space for Carson Wentz in Eagles history that should be looked at positively. Now with that in mind, it was abundantly clear that post ACL injury, for a multitude of reasons physically and mentally that could be its own novel, Wentz lost the special aspects of his game. Howie Roseman had drafted Jalen Hurts in the spring of 2020, but at the time Hurts felt more like a project or trade piece than a replacement. Carson was only two years into a four-year $128 million contract, the largest in Eagles history–at the time. To trade Wentz would be to take on the largest dead cap hit in NFL history and it was pretty safe to say they would be trading him at a low point. That did not stop Howie. Carson was a sinking ship and Roseman saw it. It is incredibly hard to admit that you did something wrong, but Howie Roseman did exactly that and on March 17, 2021, Carson Wentz was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 conditional second-round pick that became a first-round pick (Wentz playing 75% of the Colts Snaps). Carson would go on to have an okay season with the Colts that ended in a complete collapse that led to missing the playoffs in 2021. Wentz would go on to only start 7 more games over the next three seasons with three different teams as he appears to be wrapping up his NFL career. What Howie Roseman then did might be what gets him a Hall of Fame Bust one day.
Howie Roseman in Howie Season
To start, Howie Roseman brought in Nick Sirianni to be the new head coach of the Eagles. Say what you will about him, but they are 46-22 under Nick with an NFC title and about to be two division titles. Assuming they make it this year (10-2 as of writing), they will have made the playoffs for a fourth straight year. Howie would then use the picks acquired from the Wentz deal, along with additional wheeling and dealing to turn Carson Wentz into AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, Jalen Carter, and Cooper DeJean. He would go on a heater of drafting players that outside of those four would see him draft Landon Dickerson, Milton Williams, Jordan Davis, Cam Jurgens, Nakobe Dean, Grant Calcaterra, Nolan Smith, Reed Blankenship (undrafted), and Quinyonomo Bay himself, Quinyon Mitchell; among countless other key contributors.
Howie Roseman tends to win every trade he makes leaving GMs around the league concerned to answer the phone when he calls. He also has absolutely scored in free agency. CJ Gardner-Johnson, Hasan Reddick, Mehki Becton, and Zack Baun have been some tremendous homerun signings in free agency over the last few years. Oh, and landing Saquon Barkley! Saving him from the Giants would be good enough, but Saquon is currently having one of the most impressive running back seasons in NFL History that might even result in an MVP award. He also got a Jalen Hurts contract extension done before the market blew up. As of writing this, Jalen is the 10th highest-paid QB in the NFL. He also has been a wizard with the salary cap. Partially assisted by owner Jeffrey Lurie’s willingness to front money in contract signing bonuses, Howie has manipulated the salary cap to keep the Eagles contention window wide open. This past offseason he helped bolster Sirianni’s staff by adding Kellen Moore as the offensive coordinator and Vic Fangio as the Defensive Coordinator which has invigorated the team.
Howie Roseman’s Humility
Howie Roseman appears to possess something that is often lacking in the world, let alone in the sports world; humility. He has a willingness to admit he made a mistake and attempt to fix it instead of burning everything down pretending he was right. Chip Kelly isn’t working? Bring in Doug Pederson. Bite the bullet and trade Carson Wentz. Screw up by drafting Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson? Go get a receiver even better than him in AJ Brown and another stud in Devonta Smith. Howie’s ability to adapt and be ahead of the trends of the league and his ability to seemingly always land the right guy has been incredible to watch. There will always be misses; Nnamdi Asomugha, Jalen Reagor, and Bryce Huff have been some noticeable misses, but the signs of a truly good GM is the ability to hit substantially more than they miss and Howie Roseman has done that. Ultimately, one move will define Howie’s time in Philadelphia–Trading Carson Wentz genuinely might go down as the most consequential move in the Eagles’ 91+ year history and will define Howie Roseman’s legacy for years to come.
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