When Philadelphia Eagles fans think of Drew Rosenhaus, the next name that pops into their mind is probably Terrell Owens. The NFL super-agent represented Owens through his tumultuous tenure in Philadelphia, which left a bad taste in fans' mouths about Rosenhaus.
Rosenhaus, however, doesn't seem to have a bad taste in his mouth about the Eagles, as he was very complimentary of current and past executives in the organization when he did a radio spot on Superbowl radio row (via NJ Advance Media) this morning.
"I think he (Howie Roseman) is a 'football guy.' He's spent year's in the scouting department," Rosenhaus said. "He's learned from some of the best. Coach (Andy) Reid, (former NFL executive) Joe Banner. He really knows the salary cap. Really knows the numbers. Very agent friendly. Really likable guy. I'm glad he's back."
"He" is former Eagles' general manager and current vice president of football operations Howie Roseman, who seems to have seized control of the front-office back this off-season after owner Jeffrey Lurie ousted Chip Kelly and Ed Marynowtiz.
It's easy to see how agents could be fond of Roseman currently, because his first moves since returning to having control have been about taking care of his own players. Thus far, the team has given long-term extensions to Vinny Curry, Lane Johnson and Zach Ertz, re-done (and technically extended) the deal of Brent Celek and more internal moves seem to be on the way. Agents think highly of executives taking care of their own successful players before looking outside the organization to doll out lucrative contracts, which is the opposite of what Kelly did during his year with personnel control.
In fact, Johnson's agent Ken Sarnoff said something similar after Roseman extended his client, referring to Roseman as 'outstanding at what he does'.
Rosenhaus went on to call Roseman 'one of the top NFL executives', a far cry from what most in Philadelphia have suggested.
The truth about Roseman is that his ability as an executive probably falls somewhere in between what Rosenhaus is saying and what sports-talk radio callers believe. He has been in the organization for some bad drafts and signings — though it's unclear what extent of control he had during those times — but he's also presided over some impressive drafts and trades. How his second tenure as personnel head goes, however, will come down to correcting his previous inability to work with others.
Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) is an editorial assistant for Eagledelphia.com.
