A day of rumors and innuendo regarding the Philadelphia Eagles' power structure has ended in a double promotion.
The Eagles announced Friday evening that head coach Chip Kelly will now oversee the player personnel department, while general manager Howie Roseman will be elevated to the role of executive vice president of football operations. Roseman also received a contract extension.
The recent departure of Eagles vice president of player personnel Tom Gamble raised a lot of questions in Philadelphia, not to mention a hilarious newspaper cover referencing a power struggle between Roseman and Kelly. Gamble was known as a close confidant of Kelly's, inspiring some to wonder if Kelly could be headed elsewhere.Â
Kelly will now run the scouting department, much like former coach Andy Reid. Kelly will also lead efforts to hire a new personnel executive that will report to him. Kelly will now pick the players and will have final say over personnel decisions.
"When I said -- after the Giants game -- that Howie was returning as general manager next season, I meant that," owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement. "But after carefully listening and reflecting on the lengthy discussions that I had with our senior team, I changed my mind.
"I have a very good relationship with Chip that continues to grow stronger and stronger. When we spoke, he was thoughtful, thorough and professional. There were no demands, no threats -- quite the contrary -- he was passionate, engaged and articulated a dynamic and clear vision on how this fully integrated approach will work. We look forward to seeing it come to life over time."
This sounds like Kelly's vision come to life. Roseman gets a promotion and more money, but he loses personnel control. Roseman will continue to direct "contract negotiations, salary cap management, and NFL strategic matters, while overseeing the team's medical staff, equipment staff and more."
Roseman, only 39, rises to a title that often takes luminaries an entire career to get to. (Mike Shanahan and John Elway are two names with a similar "Executive VP" title that comes to mind.)
"Philadelphia is my home and the Eagles are my family. My number one goal is to help bring a championship to this city and that will never change," Roseman said in a statement. "I believe this will solidify the trust we have all placed in Coach Kelly."
Kelly's statement also stressed "working together" with owner Jeff Lurie and Roseman. It comes on the heels of many local reports saying that Roseman and Kelly's working relationship was strained.
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