Have the Philadelphia Eagles lost their “big market team” status?
By David Esser
Don’t get it twisted, Philadelphia will always be one of the top sports markets in the entire world. The city’s owners routinely shell out hundreds of millions of dollars on the on-field product, the fans are obsessively passionate, and the media is always finding ways to include Philly in the national spotlight. With that said, the Philadelphia Eagles – as an organization – have really been pushing the limits as to how far their “status” goes in recent years.
In his most recent media appearance, Howie Roseman really drilled home this idea that the Eagles are at the pinnacle of the sports world; an organization build around elite personnel and fundamentally sound processes. He was quick to highlight the fact that teams have looked to Philadelphia in the past for GM candidates, highlighting Joe Douglas (Jets) and Andrew Berry (Browns).
Owner Jeffrey Lurie offered a similar sentiment when asked about why a head coaching candidate would want to work for the Eagles coming off a 4-11-1 season. Lurie pointing out things like a state-of-the-art training facility, and the fact that the Eagles have historically always bounced back from poor seasons.
For the most part, Roseman and Lurie are correct.
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While the team failed at winning a Super Bowl under Andy Reid during the 2000s, the Eagles were still a beacon of consistency and functionality. Donovan McNabb was the franchise quarterback for 11 straight seasons, the team made the postseason seven times between 2000 and 2009, and free agents were routinely attracted to the city. Even after Andy was fired, the Eagles were quickly able to land one of the hottest collegiate coaches on the market that offseason – Chip Kelly, someone who had told multiple other teams that he was staying put at Oregon.
While the Kelly hire ultimately resulted in disaster, it was still a symbol of the Eagles organization being able to stay in the postseason realm, regardless of who was on the coaching staff.
Things really started to look bad after Chip’s firing, as the Eagles had to settle on Andy Reid’s assistant, Doug Pederson, to be their next head coach – someone who many had deemed vastly under-qualified. Less than two years later and Lurie, Roseman, and Pederson were hoisting a Lombardi Trophy.
With all that said, the “vibe” around the NovaCare Complex has reallystarted to change over the last two or so years. Controversy plagues this team at every turn, with anonymous sources and leaks seemingly popping out every single weekend at this point. The franchise is mere days away from trading their superstar quarterback, and Doug Pederson was obviously axed at the conclusion of the regular season.
Should the Philadelphia Eagles still be considered a “big market team?”
No big-name free agents are going to be joining the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason due to the messy cap situation, and even if Roseman did have tons of money to spend this spring – how many free agents would willingly sign up to play for a franchise that is being laughed at by the rest of the NFL on a daily basis?
The Eagles asking price, according to one team source, was ridiculous, laughable, and not worth countering. Until they lower their expectations, based on the uncertainty of the player and contract, their initial price will never be obtained.
— Michael Lombardi (@mlombardiNFL) February 9, 2021
Once upon a time the Eagles were viewed as being one of the best run franchises in all of sports. Howie Roseman was routinely ranked towards the top of the NFL when compared to rival executives, and Lurie (seemingly) always did a good job staying out of things. Coming off a disastrous 4-11-1 season where the team unnecessarily shot themselves in the foot week in and week out, that mystical appeal of being a “big market team” like the Patriots, Steelers, Packers, Saints, and Chiefs has quickly faded.
A tweet that I sent out earlier today posed the question of “When’s the last time the Philadelphia Eagles landed a big name free agent?” People in the replies were quick to name guys like Alshon Jeffery, LeGarrette Blount, and even Javon Hargrave.
When’s the last time the Philadelphia Eagles landed a big name free agent?
— David Esser (@DavidEsser_) February 9, 2021
Do you think rookies are happy when they get drafted to the #Eagles?
For an organization that has foolishly viewed themselves as a “Super Bowl contender” for the last 3+ seasons, that’s a pretty underwhelming list of names. Stack up the Eagles inability to land star talent via free agency (without overpaying) with their inability to develop and draft, and you got yourselves a franchise that quite deservedly finished at the bottom of the NFC East last season.
This isn’t necessarily supposed to be a “Howie Roseman hit piece”, it’s more so supposed to be a rude wakeup call to anyone who still views the Eagles as some sort of historic, iconic franchise that everyone is itching to play for these days. Carson Wentz isn’t the first big-time talent to leave the Eagles unceremoniously in recent years (Malcolm Jenkins for example), and he won’t be the last.
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As long as the team continues to operate with this false belief that they are “above” the rest of the NFL, things likely won’t change. Whether that shift in mentality happens under Lurie’s/Howie’s watch, only time will tell.
However, what I can tell you is that not a single prospect in this year’s upcoming NFL Draft is sitting around “hoping” that Philly selects them. Hell, go ask Jalen Reagor and his long list of deleted tweets how his rookie season went last year…