Lurie Announces Changes: Kelly in Charge of Personnel

After rumors swirled Friday afternoon about the direction of the Eagles franchise, owner Jeffrey Lurie announced changes to the roles of Chip Kelly and Howie Roseman.

Roseman’s new title is executive vice president of football operations. He will direct contract negotiations and salary cap management while overseeing the team’s medical staff, equipment staff and more.

And then the headliner: Kelly will now oversee the player personnel department. He will also lead efforts to hire a new personnel executive, a process that will begin immediately.

In other words, the team will sink or swim based on Kelly’s decisions. He is in charge of the draft, free agency, roster construction, etc. There is no more ambiguity. Kelly is in charge.

“We are a good football team and we believe these steps will help make us a great team,” Lurie said. “That step – from good to great – is the most difficult one for any organization to make. To do that, sometimes you have to step back and really look hard at where you are today and what you want to become.”

The press release said Roseman has been “elevated” but it’s impossible to view the move that way. Roseman’s desire has been to be viewed as a savvy talent evaluator, not just a cap/contracts guy. But the new title has nothing to do with selecting personnel and finding players.

“Philadelphia is my home and the Eagles are my family,” Roseman said. “My number one goal is to help bring a championship to this city and that will never change. I believe this will solidify the trust we have all placed in Coach Kelly.”

Said Kelly: “I am very confident about where we are headed as a team and as an organization. I look forward to continue working with Jeffrey and Howie as well as the personnel department.

“This is not a one-man operation. It will truly take a team effort to acquire and develop the best football players and then put the best team on the field each week. It will take all of us working together.”

Lurie, meanwhile, offered the following extended statement:

Today, we made an important announcement and one upon which I would like to offer further perspective.

In the normal process of evaluating the end of the season, I meet with key executives for thorough discussions and evaluations of all aspects of football operations. During those lengthy meetings this week, we discussed a comprehensive approach on how to seamlessly integrate the personnel and coaching departments in order to maximize every facet of the process.

Working with Chip, Howie and Don we came up with what we believe will be a more thorough and thoughtful model that would best be overseen by Chip. It’s most important that we find players that match what our coaches are seeking.

This new approach goes even further than we have in the past starting with Day One of the scouting process. This is part of an all-encompassing vision that takes you from the scouting process all the way to on-field performance.

Howie, Chip and Don are all united in their desire to win. Together, we decided this approach was the best course of action for the Philadelphia Eagles.

You have heard me say many times that I want strong leaders who feel free to express their opinions. And that is what happened here. Chip will now lead this process going forward with the continued full support of Howie, Don and myself.

Chip will not be doing this work by himself, obviously. He has been charged with recruiting and hiring a new personnel executive that will report directly to him and together we will move forward with this new, highly integrated approach.

When I said – after the Giants game – that Howie was returning as general manager next season, I meant that. 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.

Let me also stress that Howie will continue to play a vital role in our operation. He has been elevated to the role of Executive Vice President of Football Operations and received a contract extension.

In closing, we have looked hard at where we are today and what we want to become. We are all united in our desire to win for this city.

Much more to come.