Everybody knows that last year saw a massive power struggle in Philadelphia, but not everybody knows just how dysfunctional that struggle was. Chip Kelly met the today at the NFL Annual Meeting and was naturally asked about his time with the Eagles, his responses were definitely intriguing..
Chip Kelly said that Howie Roseman negotiated the Byron Maxwell and DeMarco Murray contracts last offseason.
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) March 23, 2016
Kelly would identify players he wanted, relayed it to Roseman (through Marynowitz) without command of financial implications.
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) March 23, 2016
Chip Kelly on trust w/ Howie Roseman: "It was just a weird situation. He was there for two years and then he wasn't there for one year."
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) March 23, 2016
So, it seems as though Howie Roseman was the man who negotiated the contracts for Maxwell and Murray among others with Chip going on to claim he has never negotiated a player contract. Most of the blame fell on Kelly last season when it came to Murray and Maxwell, but should his recent comments change that?
The lack of communication between the two parties and Roseman essentially hiring guys who Chip told him to (regardless of cost it would seem) highlights just how disconnected the Front Office was.
Regardless of Roseman’s involvement with the contracts, make no mistake it was still Kelly making the calls and pushing for the players to be signed. Roseman’s role in 2015 looks as though it included the responsibility of hiring the guys Kelly relayed to him through Marynowitz as well as the managing the cap.
The structure of the Front Office now is a stark contrast to what it was 12 months ago with “communication” appearing to be one of the key focuses. After what Kelly told the media today, it’s easy to understand why.
