How Howie Roseman pulled off the greatest offseason the NFL has ever seen

Everybody knows the football genius of Howie Roseman, but this last offseason was not only his best work yet, but in my opinion, the best single offseason a team has ever had. It’s one thing to have a couple of signings or draft picks work out but to have literally every move work out is another.

Without wasting any more time, I want to dive into the 4 tools Roseman used to create arguably one of the best teams in NFL history: the hiring process, the draft, free agency, and some trades.

Howie Roseman is one of the best general managers, not just in NFL history, but sports history.

First ballot hall-of-famer.

(📷: @The33rdTeamFB) pic.twitter.com/5BSnDXAGy9

— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) January 21, 2025

The Hiring Process

One of the biggest causes of the Eagles 2023 disaster was the lack of competence and leadership from its coordinators Ben Johnson and Sean Desai. This time the hiring process was put into the hands of Roseman, and he didn’t disappoint.

The Chargers’ loss became our gain, as Kellen Moore was hired to take over for Johnson. At the time it was a skeptical hire, as Moore was heavily criticized in Dallas and LA, being let go from both positions. Moore was able to turn a one-dimensional offense into one of the best in the NFL in one season, with the crown jewel being dropping 55 and 40 in the NFCCG and the Super Bowl. Moore, who will now have coached for 3 teams in 3 years, has already accepted the Saints HC job as a result of his success.

For DC, Roseman again capitalized on another team’s mistake. This time it was the Dolphins firing Vic Fangio. Fangio was already closely tied to the Eagles, being an assistant for Super Bowl 57. It was believed he was going to take over for Jonathan Gannon but was scared off by the tampering scandal. Despite Vic’s release being celebrated in Miami, he turned the Eagles defense from a crew that couldn’t stop a nosebleed a year ago, to one of the most dominant defenses the NFL has seen in years. He had Patrick Mahomes looking like Zach Wilson on the biggest stage there is.

Free Agency

There’s an obvious place to start here. You don’t need me to tell you how good Saquon Barkley is. He only went out and broke the single-season rushing record through the playoffs. But surely the best RB in football has to come at a heavy price tag right? Saquon is 2.49% of the Eagles salary cap. The best player on the best team in football is 2.49% of the cap hit. Words cannot describe how insane that is.

Then there’s Zack Baun, a nobody special teamer from New Orleans who wasn’t even guaranteed to be a starter when he was signed. In 4 years as a Saint, he had 88 tackles and 2.0 sacks. In one as an Eagle, 155 tackles and 3.5 sacks, and was a DPOY finalist. Howie got the best LB in football, and he got him for 3.5 million dollars. One of the biggest, if not the biggest steal in the history of free agency.

Then one of the best comeback stories in football this season. Mekhi Becton, who was cast off as a failed project in New York came to Philly and instantly turned into one of the best RGs in the league and blocked for the best RB in the league. Nothing was handed to Becton when he got here, he had to lose a ton of weight to be able to play the position and had to fight Tyler Steen for starting duties.

What an incredible moment for Mekhi Becton in tears after winning the Super Bowl.

“They welcomed me with open arms here. You would’ve thought I got drafted here the way they welcomed me. I’ve never been around a connection like this since high school.”

pic.twitter.com/Y3BCSX4eCf

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) February 11, 2025

Bringing C.J. Gardner-Johnson back to Philly turned out to be a great idea as well. After a one-year stint in Detroit, CJGJ came back home on a 3-year deal this past offseason and despite the rough start, he was able to turn it around on the field, along with being a pivotal piece of the team’s culture.

The only signing that Howie whiffed on was Bryce Huff. What seemed like a smart signing to try and revamp what was a failing pass rush ended pretty disastrously. Huff became a liability and is still owed upwards of 30 million dollars. What Howie decides to do with him this offseason will be something to look out for.

The Draft

I’m keeping the topic of the article to just this past offseason but go on Pro Football reference and just be amazed at how many of the draft picks from the last 4 years have become key pieces to the team.

As for the 2024 draft, the Eagles goal was clear. Find a corner. Not only did they find a corner, they found two. Cooper DeJean was viewed as the best CB in the draft during the early process, but guys like Terrion Arnold and Quinyon Mitchell skyrocketed as the draft got closer.

The funniest part was that when the Eagles chose Mitchell in the first round, the only criticism was “they passed on DeJean though.” As fate would have it, Howie got both. How’d they work out? Well, they turned one of the NFL’s worst secondaries into one of the best overnight, and both were finalists for DROTY and if you ask me, Quinyon should’ve won it.

Past that Jalyx Hunt, Will Shipley, and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. all had their moments during the season. Hunt, whose stock increased after the combine, didn’t rack up counting stats but showed lots of potential with limited snaps. Will Shipley immortalized himself in the NFCCG, rushing for 77 yards and forcing a fumble on a kickoff. Trotter didn’t play much behind Baun, Oren Burks, and Nakobe Dean, but played well in his start against the Giants in week 18 with 11 tackles.

The Trades

During the draft, Howie broke a record with 8 trades to stockpile draft capital for the future. Past that, the Eagles made 2 major trades in the offseason.

Haason Reddick was the first. Haason wanted to be paid, and the Eagles didn’t have anywhere close to the amount of money he was about to get. Reddick had 27 sacks in his two seasons with the Birds and was a pivotal piece of their 2022 Super Bowl run but wanted his bag. He was shipped to the Jets for a conditional 3rd round pick, that could’ve become a 2nd but didn’t convey. Reddicks Jets’ tenure so far has been a confusing disaster. He made it clear he wasn’t playing anywhere until he was extended, and despite trading for him, the Jets didn’t extend him either. When Reddick eventually did suit up, he had his worst season since 2019 recording just 1 sack.

Former Eagle Haason Reddick has skipped Jets team meetings and just posted this video of himself in Japan on his IG. 😂

pic.twitter.com/a4fMmKcWko https://t.co/D8Vifu5Lvh

— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) June 21, 2024

The other trade was Jahan Dotson. The Eagles needed a WR3 and reports were saying that no new additions were impressing the Eagles coaching staff. Unfortunately, this trade we probably lost. The team gave up a 3rd and 2 7th round picks to get Jahan. The problem is, Jahan didn’t do anything. He had 19 catches for 216 yards and only ended up starting 6 games. While he did play well in the Super Bowl, it will come down to what Washington ultimately does with those picks to determine the winner of the trade.

As long as we have Howie, we’ll be contenders

Funny how if you would’ve told any Eagles fan in 2020 that Howie Roseman would still be the GM in 2025 that would’ve been devastating news. Howie, just like the other members of the coaching staff adapted. Howie continues to run laps around the rest of the league with his football knowledge year after year.

When it’s all said and done, he could very well go down as the best GM to ever do it.

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