The Philadelphia Eagles could be facing some serious front office strife if the decision to fire Vice President of Player Personnel Tom Gamble yesterday, and the plethora of rumors that subsequently followed, are any indication.
The Eagles, one of the NFL's feel-good, turnaround stories from last season, seemed well on their way to improving even further this season before a December collapse left them short of the playoffs and headed home to watch January football from their couches.
Things got worse when, in the wake of Gamble's sudden departure yesterday, word began to spread that the relationship between head coach Chip Kelly and general manager Howie Roseman was - iffy - at best.
"Gamble was collateral damage in the power struggle between Kelly and Roseman that the general manager apparently has won for the time being," writes Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Their relationship had been strained since almost the start of Kelly's tenure as head coach but had become acrimonious over the last year, according to several sources within the Eagles and around the NFL."
That's not good news for Philly fans whose hopes for Kelly, despite this season's late faltering, had grown sky-high over the past two years.
The news could, in fact, be even worse though, as the acrimonious nature of Kelly and Roseman's relationship may have recently caused Roseman to seek potential employment elsewhere - specifically with the New York Jets.
"It's unclear whether Roseman would have been driven to the point of leaving, but the 39-year-old GM had conversations about the New York Jets' vacancy, according to two NFL sources," writes McLane.
"The Jets didn't put in a formal interview request, but it is believed that Roseman or his agent, Bob LaMonte, had informal talks with either consultant Charlie Casserly or owner Woody Johnson. The Jets' level of interest was unknown."
While it seems like Roseman is unlikely to head out the door this offseason, this could set up like a potential replay of the Jim Harbaugh-San Francisco 49ers situation that unfolded throughout this year.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie seems to be squarely in Roseman's corner as he's chosen to stick with the GM over a number of other executives in the past - Tom Heckert, Ryan Grigson, Joe Banner and Louis Riddick - and could potentially do so again should it come down to Kelly or Roseman.
Stay tuned, Philly faithful - with more front office moves expected, it looks like it could be an interesting offseason at One Novacare Way.
