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Eagles GM Howie Roseman Credits Drafting Jalen Hurts to Lessons Learned From Andy Reid

Reese Patanjo
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Jalen Hurts and Howie Roseman

The Philadelphia Eagles made a bold move in 2020 when they drafted Jalen Hurts. Despite giving Carson Wentz a massive $128 million extension at the time, GM Howie Roseman was already looking toward the future in case a replacement was needed. And while his choice ultimately proved to be the right one, Roseman faced heavy criticism at the time.

It’s not the only time he has faced public scrutiny, either. Back in 2013, Roseman made the tough call to part ways with their 14-year head coach, Andy Reid, whose tenure in Philadelphia had run its course following several playoff exits and a Super Bowl loss. Of course, Reid would go on to become a legend, winning three Super Bowls in the past six years.

Roseman, naturally, continues to face criticism for letting Reid go, just as he did when drafting Hurts so soon after paying Wentz a whole lotta money. Yet in those tough moments, the GM says that he leaned on the lessons learned from the very coach he once parted ways with.

When asked how he handled the scrutiny and setbacks during the Carson-Hurts era in Philly, Roseman said (via Bussin with the Boys), “Just watching how coach Reid dealt with it and how he dealt with everything that was going on, and always just keeping fighting and keeping getting back to work. Continued to prioritize what he thought were the main things in building a football team.”

It was this dedicated work ethic that Reid displayed that pushed Roseman to become better at his job. After letting go of the coaching legend, he traveled.

Roseman said he visited sports executives from different leagues, including football, basketball, and baseball. He even went to Europe at one point, all to gain perspective and understand that every GM and decision-maker faces some form of adversity throughout their careers.

Well, the perspective was gained, and quickly. Roseman went on to construct two rosters that had winning seasons after parting ways with Reid. And a few years later in 2017, the Eagles had a magical run that ended with a Super Bowl trophy.

But of course, the lows returned. In the next two seasons, Philly went 1-2 in the playoffs. During that stretch, Wentz missed several games, and let’s not forget that he didn’t play the entirety of the Super Bowl victory. With all this in mind, Roseman realized he had to return to Reid’s lesson on prioritizing how to build a football team.

“With that was the decision where we drafted Jalen [Hurts] because the quarterback is the most important position in sports, and unfortunately for us, we had been in 7 playoff games, and I think Carson [Wentz] had played nine snaps… We needed to make sure that position was right,” Roseman said.

Funny enough, the Eagles initially passed on Hurts with their first-round pick in 2020. Instead, they drafted wide receiver Jalen Reagor, who turned out to be a bust. Justin Jefferson, Brandon Aiyuk, and Michael Pittman Jr. were all drafted just a few picks later.

But in the end, the Eagles got the last laugh. They drafted Hurts in the 2nd round, and the rest is history. After getting 4 starts in his rookie year, Philly decided to trade Wentz in the following offseason to the Indianapolis Colts for a 3rd-round pick and a conditional 2nd-round pick. And we all know this past season, Hurts and the Eagles hoisted the Lombardi.

Furthermore, Reid’s teachings are still proving fruitful today. Roseman ended up taking the 3rd-round pick and packaged it with their first-round pick to move up and draft DeVonta Smith, a guy who just caught a touchdown in the Super Bowl. Then, since Wentz played in 75% of the snaps in 2021, the conditional 2nd-round pick turned into a 1st.

In light of that, Roseman decided to package more picks together to make a trade for A.J. Brown. And if you want to take it even further, a pick in that trade ended up with the Eagles landing Jalen Carter. Additionally, another pick from that trade led to Philly acquiring Cooper DeJean in 2024.

To recap, the Colts got Wentz, and the Eagles ended up getting Brown, Smith, Carter, and DeJean. 

It seemingly never ends. It’s a cycle Roseman follows of constantly acquiring more assets that should prove to be worth it in the future. That’s how Reid, simply showing up to work every day and dedicating himself to his craft, pushed the GM to become one of the best decision-makers in sports.

Post Edited By:Samnur Reza

About the author

Reese Patanjo

Reese Patanjo

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Reese is an NFL Journalist for The SportsRush. He was a University of Oregon graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in writing and communications. A fan of the NFL since he was young, Reese is a Dallas Cowboys fan at heart. However, his favorite NFL moment was the 54-51 Monday night game between the Rams and Chiefs in 2018. Reese's favorite player changes with time but currently he reps Trevon Diggs and CeeDee Lamb jerseys. When he isn't watching the NFL, you can find Reese engulfed in any of the other major sports. He's a massive MLB fan, go Red Sox. He also loves the NBA and College Basketball. But pretty much any sport, Soccer, NHL, PGA,- you name it, Reese watches.

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