Howie Roseman, Philadelphia Eagles Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Howie Roseman gets the last laugh on Eagles rival after failed draft day trade

Originally posted on Inside the Iggles
By Anthony Miller | Last updated May 5, 2025 12:00 PM ET

When Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is working the phones, only magic has been produced over the last few years.

Roseman has pulled off some great trades in recent years, including the A.J. Brown trade with the Tennessee Titans and the De'Andre Swift move with the Detroit Lions. He has a knack for working deals where they give up less than expected to bring in good talent.

The same is said when he calls on draft day for trades. His Brown and Swift trades came during the draft, but he has been able to move up for higher draft picks, being able to select Jordan Davis and DeVonta Smith.

He was doing more of the same during the 2025 NFL Draft as Roseman worked the phones to try to move up. One call though is catching the attention of everyone.

How a failed attempt to trade up worked in Roseman and the Eagles' favor

The Eagles shared a nearly 17-minute video on Saturday with a behind-the-scenes look at three days of the draft for Philadelphia. Roseman was shown making multiple calls to teams with picks in the 20s to try to move up. After numerous failed attempts, Roseman made one more desperate call to one of the Eagles' most hated rivals: the Washington Commanders.

96 hours inside the Eagles Draft Room@LincolnFncl | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/STfgCBsSBp
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) May 3, 2025

Roseman called the Commanders' general manager, Adam Peters, who had the 29th overall pick, to see if they were interested in making a trade. The cameras caught Roseman's side of the conversation.

"Hey buddy. How we doing? Eh, it's a tradition. I figure we should keep doing trades. Any interest in a small move back?"

After Roseman heard Peters' response, the conversation ended very quickly with Roseman saying goodbye and hanging up.

"See ya. He said, 'there's an in-division tax.' He really didn't want to do a trade with me."

The Eagles could finally execute a first-round trade against their Super Bowl opponents, the Kansas City Chiefs. Philadelphia sent Kansas City their 32nd and 164th overall picks in the draft. In exchange, the Eagles landed the 31st overall pick and used it to pick Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell.

Roseman tried hard to move up multiple times in the first round, but being unable to make a trade paid off for the Eagles. Philadelphia only had to give up a fifth round pick which was fine because they had another fifth round pick just four picks after that so it was worth dumping to move up to get their guy.

Being able to Campbell at 31 also shows the incredible luck that continues to come the Eagles' way. He was projected to be a mid-first round pick but fell right into the Eagles' laps, giving him a solid edge/outside linebacker to develop.

While some will praise Peters' approach against the division rival who won the Super Bowl, Roseman shows once again how he continues to succeed at his job, no matter what roadblocks come his way.

This article first appeared on Inside the Iggles and was syndicated with permission.

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