Howie Roseman passed Brett Veach again but this is the first time it’s deserved

Howie Roseman continues to stand in the way, but we're pretty sure Brett Veach understands this time around.

A new round of general manager rankings is out from NBC Sports writer Patrick Daugherty, and Roseman and Veach sit atop the list at first nad second, respectively. After the Chiefs suffered a devastating defeat in Super Bowl LIX last February, it makes sense to honor the Eagles front office as the best.

That said, it's interesting to look back at recent GM rankings and see that Veach has been playing second fiddle to Roseman for quite some time. Sometimes, it seems, Veach hasn't gotten the same sort of credit for building a winner as his colleagues in recent years.

The latest GM rankings are out. The order is familiar, but at least this year feels fair.

Veach has assembled a championship roster on three separate occasions, and his efforts top to bottom have dominated the AFC for the better part of a decade. And while Veach would likely say he's happy to be recognized at all in such an esteemed tier of decision-makers, there's still a bit of a slight involved when looking at his body of work.

Back in 2023, with the Chiefs fresh off of a second Super Bowl in Veach's tenure, Roseman was once again listed at No. 1 by Gregg Rosenthal. In 2024, coming off of a second consecutive championship victory, Veach was once again behind Roseman in Pro Football Network's rankings.

It's interesting to note that these lists always make mention of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes before anything else. It's understandable that future Hall of Famers would warrant mention regarding any team's success, but there's no denying that Roseman is seen as more of a key architect than Veach by outsiders.

It's almost as if Veach is given credit for keeping a winning ship afloat while Roseman is given credit for building it.

But that fails to give Veach credit for some remarkable decisions in the past few years. Tyreek Hill was the best wide receiver in the NFL when the Chiefs chose to trade him away. L'Jarius Sneed was a lockdown corner who was also dealt. Both deals were the right call in retrospect when Veach had every reason to believe he should keep them.

Staying on top in the National Football League, where parity reigns and the biggest losers are rewarded with the best draft picks, is no easy task. Yet Veach has overseen the work the building of a rare NFL dynasty by remaking entire position groups in a single offseason and unearthing numerous gems to maintain roster depth at the cheapest prices.

Roseman deserves loads of credit as one of the most brilliant minds running an NFL organization today, but it's; worth noting that Veach has been playing second fiddle to Roseman despite often being the GM holding up the latest Lombardi. This year's ranking is well-deserved by Roseman, but Veach was already (unfairly) used to being second as it is.