One of Howie Roseman’s closest friends is leaving the team.
The Philadelphia Eagles are losing what would appear to be an integral piece of their front office next month, when vice president of football administration Jake Rosenberg, a longtime salary cap executive within the team, is set to leave upon the expiration of his contract.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported the news today that Rosenberg, who has been friends with Eagles general manager Howie Roseman since elementary school and worked closely with Roseman over the years, has a desire to climb further than he felt he could in Philadelphia.
“Over a pretty extended period of time I have just thought to myself that if it doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards for me to advance in this league, and have a chance to keep pushing and growing, that at the end of the day, what is involved to do this in terms of a life perspective, it’s not going to be worth it,” Rosenberg told The Inquirer.
Roseman confirmed the news, saying Rosenberg “has been so important to our team and a big part of our success.”
Howie Roseman’s right-hand man leaving Eagles
The Inquirer says that Rosenberg worked as “Roseman’s chief strategist in player signings and acquisitions for years” and that he was involved in multiple facets of salary cap management, scouting, football operations, as well as free agency and trades.
Roseman joined the Eagles front office in 2000 as an intern and ascended through the ranks before being named Philadelphia’s general manager in 2010. Since then, he has added the job title of executive vice president. He is widely regarded as one of the best executives in the NFL, having constructed rosters that have consistently made it to the playoffs, and in a few cases, the Super Bowl.
After a 4-12 season in 2012 and the subsequent departure of Andy Reid, Roseman hired the University of Oregon head coach Chip Kelly, who lasted parts of three seasons before his dismissal. Roseman then hired Doug Pederson, who at the time, served as Reid’s offensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs.
With Pederson at the helm, Philadelphia won its first and only Super Bowl title during the 2017 season despite losing starting quarterback Carson Wentz due to injury. Backup QB Nick Foles led the team to a 41-33 victory over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, giving Roseman the greatest achievement of his career.
The Eagles have only missed the playoffs one time since then (2020) and reached the Super Bowl for the fourth time in franchise history during the 2022 season, although the team came up short in a 38-35 loss to Reid and the Chiefs.
Despite high expectations and a perfect start, this past season ultimately proved to be a disappointing one for Roseman and the Eagles. Philadelphia won 10 of its first 11 games, including a 21-17 victory over the Chiefs in week 11, but the team spiraled in the final six weeks, losing all but one game to finish the season 11-6. The NFC East title that seemed inevitable disappeared and with it a home playoff game, forcing the Eagles to go on the road to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who crushed the Eagles 32-9 in the Wild Card round.
Roseman has already started to retool the Eagles’ roster, signing running back Saquon Barkley and bringing back C.J. Gardner-Johnson on the other side of the ball. He will likely continue to tinker with what Philly hopes will be a championship contender at next month’s NFL Draft.
