Eagles' GM: 'I Won't Live With Regret'

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles got what they feel could be a difference-making pass rusher for their now annual run to the playoffs when they acquired former Miami edge defender Jaelan Phillips a day before the NFL’s trade deadline on Tuesday.

Reports since the spring have speculated that the league’s most aggressive general manager, Howie Roseman, was checking in on arguably the two best pass rushers in football before Phillips became an Eagle.

First, it was Cleveland’s Myles Garrett before the six-time All-Pro worked out a new massive deal with the Browns, and then it shifted to Micah Parsons when it became clear the Penn State product was on his way out of Dallas, a pipe dream that ended when Jerry Jones sent his difference-making contender to Green Bay.

Near the trade deadline, it circled back to Garrett after the latest lost season in Cleveland convinced some to call Browns GM and former Roseman lieutenant Andrew Berry about the superstar's availability even with the issues of potentially moving that big contract.

Famous for his due diligence, the word Eagles on SI had gotten was that Roseman was always checking in, but the Cowboys never entertained sending Parsons to a division rival, and Berry learned his lessons from Roseman well, and never seriously contemplated a divorce with Garrett.

Non-Confirmation Confirmation

Howie Roseman speaks with reporters. | John McMullen/Eagles On SI

While deftly avoiding a fine, Roseman gave a non-confirmation, confirmation when asked about his interest in the two superstars on Tuesday, a development which shouldn’t be a surprise.

"I feel like when there's opportunities to be aggressive for the right players, we're not going to sit on our hands,” Roseman said. “I don't think that you have great success without taking great risks at times.”

The joke in Philadelphia is that if you want news on Roseman, find the good player he isn’t interested in. The great player that Roseman isn’t interested in doesn’t exist unless there is a troubling off-the-field issue.

"I think for a lot of times for you to get to the top, that you’ve got to be willing to take chances that may look controversial at times,” said Roseman. “If there was an opportunity to do that, that we thought [also] gave us an opportunity to be the last team standing and put confetti on our heads, we're going to go be aggressive in that direction.

“I just feel like that's the right way to operate our team. That doesn't come without mistakes. I understand that, but I won't live with regret. I won't live with regret in the way that we operate around here. If we feel passionate about something, if we think the value's right, we're not going to be afraid to pull the trigger."

MORE NFL: Eagles GM On Jaelan Phillips Deal: ‘It Really Wasn’t A Hard Trade To Make’