Flexibility or Insurance? Howie Roseman Explains Draft-Asset Deal with Saints
PHILADELPHIA - Earlier this month in advance of the NFL Draft, Howie Roseman pulled off exactly what most expected he would try to do when the Eagles general manager kicked the can to 2023 with one of his then-three first-round picks.
Outside the NovaCare Complex, the path Roseman took pointed to two things: the franchise's uncertainty with third-year quarterback Jalen Hurts and the assessment that a 2023 QB draft class topped by Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, and Phil Jurkovec projects to be of a higher quality than the 2022 version highlighted by Kenny Pickett, Malik Willis, and the late-charging Desmond Ridder.
Roseman spoke for the first time on Wednesday since making the deal on April 5, in which he sent picks No. 16 and 19 to the Saints, along with a sixth-round pick (No. 194 overall) in the 2022 draft in exchange for five total picks: No. 18 overall in 2022, along with a third-rounder (No. 101) and a seventh-round pick (No. 237), plus a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick.
Roseman pushed back on the move to future picks being an indictment of Hurts, something the organization has consistently done this offseason when the microphones appear.
“We’re excited about Jalen Hurts and we’re going to support Jalen and want him to have a great career in Philly,” he said, seated next to head coach Nick Sirianni, during their pre-draft media availability.
Andy Weidl, the vice-president of player personnel, was not at the news conference due to what the team said was an illness.
Roseman, though, said the trade was about flexibility, perhaps a nod in the shift from what was labeled a transition year in 2021 to what is now being framed as "a building year."
“This was about great flexibility for our team and about making sure that we have resources to improve our team for not only this year’s draft but next year’s draft going forward," he said. "We thought it made a lot of sense.”
No matter how much Roseman protests, however, there will be questions surrounding Hurts right up to the minute the Eagles make a decision on a third-year player which will come in the form of a contract extension, something the QB will be eligible for after the 2022 season.
That timeframe gives Roseman room to spin right now and the GM gave a number of reasons for continuing to push draft capital into future seasons, including option years and balancing assets over a two-year timeframe.
“I think we were kind of looking at this year and next year and the amount of picks we had in this year’s draft and trying to kind of balance it a little bit for a variety of factors,” Roseman said. “When you look at having first-round picks and the fifth-year option, having that many guys on the fifth-year option, also kind of balancing scouting all the players in this draft and next year’s draft and having more options and more flexibility at all positions."
Reading the tea leaves, Roseman's assessment of the 2023 draft class, especially this far out, really only holds water when talking about the QBs, which are generally thought to be a lackluster group this year.
“Kind of getting a head start looking at next year’s draft too and seeing that it’s strong as well, as well as this year’s draft, we thought it made sense," said Roseman. "Obviously from New Orleans’ standpoint, we looked back. There hadn’t really been a team that moved back that far for a first-round pick so it made sense for them, too.
"Hopefully a win-win situation.”
In theory, the fifth-year option on three different players could get expensive down the line even with the expected gains in the salary cap, but the thought you would get to that point on a trio of players without extensions strains credulity.
In other words, the trade was about exactly what you think it was: adding a 2023 first-round pick in a better QB year to hedge the Eagles' bet on Hurts.
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen