Howie Roseman has dedicated his life to the Philadelphia Eagles, and he's been a godsend for the franchise and fanbase since taking over in 2010. But in recent years, he's finally gotten his due as one of the NFL's best general managers and earned a reputation for fleecing other organizations.
Trading for A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans, offloading Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts and Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings, and that bizarre 2022 draft swap with the New Orleans Saints are really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Roseman's negotiating prowess.
But trading away A.J. Brown strummed a slightly different tune. Yes, the Eagles still landed a 2028 first-rounder and a 2027 fifth-rounder, adding capital in two consecutive drafts, but Philadelphia's general manager didn't get to charge a king's ransom for a premier wideout.
It turns out that Roseman is human after all.
AJ Brown trade serves as proof that Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman is human after all
One of the gripes with this deal, although Philly fans are glad to have this drama in the past and feel good about the state of the wide receiver room in a post-Brown era, is not landing a premier pick in what is supposed to be a loaded 2027 NFL Draft class.
Patriots general manager Eliot Wolf knows this, too, and yet Roseman wasn't able to wiggle a 2027 first-rounder from him. Perhaps Eagles fans have grown to expect too much from Roseman, but that seems like a feat he would typically accomplish. But nobody bats 1.000 in this business.
Now, Roseman's comments on this are revealing of his mindset and proof that draft picks weighing different amounts, depending on the class, is overblown. Things change dramatically over the course of an NFL and college football season, and nobody knows where they'll be picking or who's available.
“We’ve always been in the mindset that a pick is a pick. A first-round pick is a first-round pick," Roseman said. "Teams are still going to be playing football in 2028.”
Perhaps the bigger "issue," or the reason that fans may see Roseman as losing his touch in this deal, is that the Eagles didn't land nearly as good a return as the Miami Dolphins did for Jaylen Waddle. Yes, Waddle is over a year younger, but he's not exactly cheaper, nor is he in the same tier as a player.
Whereas Roseman got a first- and a fifth-rounder for Brown, the Dolphins landed a first- and a third-rounder for Waddle and had to swap fourth-round picks, moving back 19 spots. Brown should be worth more than Waddle, but these two trade packages don't really reflect that reality.
At the end of the day, getting a first-round pick for a player who didn't want to be in Philly is a win. The Eagles had no leverage in this situation, as it was a foregone conclusion for months that Brown would be out the door as soon as June 1 hit.
Read more: A.J. Brown gave Eagles fans clearer picture of what happened after Super Bowl win
With the bulk of the offseason moves done for most teams, Roseman didn't have a lot of legitimate suitors. The Myles Garrett trade may have wiped out their only other potential bidder. So the Patriots were able to lowball the Eagles a bit and make Roseman finally put down his sword.
He's human, but Roseman is still the best.
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