Howie Roseman's Early Decision To Replace Two All-Time Eagles Greats Paid Off

PHILADELPHIA – As players and coaches said their goodbyes in the disappointing gloom of the visitor’s locker room at Raymond James Stadium after a wildcard playoff loss in Tampa last January, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman stood outside thinking about the future. Not that he’s ever not thinking about it, but the upcoming offseason, he knew then, would see two big changes.

He had an idea that Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox would retire, and he was right, both veterans and forever Eagles did.

“I’m feeling like, ‘Man, I let them down a little bit personally that their last season ended like that,” he said. “And then going, ‘Alright, two of the greatest players in the history of this franchise, they’re off the roster, and you gotta replace those guys,’ which you can’t really do.”

Roseman had been with Kelce since 2011 and Cox since 2012, basically from near the beginning of his general manager days.

“All I’ve known as a GM are those two guys,” he said. “Certainly in my second stage of this, and having those guys, and talking to those guys, and really feeling a part of it. I’ve talked about those guys, and Lane (Johnson) and Brandon (Graham), and within all the changes, they’ve always trusted me. And I felt that was a huge responsibility.

“So, I felt I let those guys down last year, among other things, and just seeing them around the team this year, and seeing their passion for the team and how proud they are, just tells you what kind of people they are.”

Roseman believed he already had their replacements in place – at least to a certain degree. Cam Jurgens and Jalen Carter were going to have to be the ones to do it, but they are young and were replacing potential Pro Football Hall of Famers and definite Eagles Hall of Famers. Heck, nobody may wear Kelce’s No. 62 or Cox’s No. 91 again.

Eagles center Cam Jurgens walks to practice on Jan. 24, 2025. | John McMullen/Eagles On SI

Jurgens, who came in the second round in 2022, and Carter, who was the ninth overall pick in 2023, did just fine. Better than just fine. Both are Pro Bowlers already and the Eagles are back in the Super Bowl just months after Kelce and Cox retired.

“I think that’s sometimes the hard thing is you go into a draft and say, ‘Hey, we’re gonna have this big hole in a year or two and we may have an opportunity to fill it now,’ but in the short term these guys might not be big-time contributors for our team and you’re using resources that are big-time resources on those guys but also knowing how important those position have been to our success and how hard those guys are to find,” said Roseman about filling the holes he knew were coming sooner rather than later and bringing both Jurgens and Carter in knowing that their impact may have to wait a year or more.

“It’s like the see-saw, you don’t weigh too heavy one way and be all the way in two years out but at the same time knowing if you don’t have those pieces, you probably don’t have a chance to compete for championships.”

That’s what happened with Jurgens, having to basically redshirt his rookie season then heaving to learn how to play guard while waiting for Kelce to retire. Carter stepped right in and was runner-up for defensive rookie of the year last season even with Cox still on the team.

“That’s when it makes the decision a little bit easier (to draft replacements before fully needing them) if we’re really saying we’re doing this just to win championships,” said Roseman. “The success of (20)17 sort of spoiled us in that way, then everything that you do has to be geared to that moment knowing that it’s probably hard.

“Obviously, the Chiefs are doing an unbelievable job, but it’s probably hard every year to win a championship. That doesn’t mean you can’t go to the playoffs every year and compete for a championship, but I think that’s how you make those decisions.”

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