Eagles hire 49ers' Tom Gamble as VP of Player Personnel

The Philadelphia Eagles announced today the hiring of Tom Gamble as their new Vice President of Player Personnel. He has served as the 49ers' Director of Player Personnel since 2010 and was Director of Pro Personnel for the previous 7 years. Gamble is seen as one of the major architects of the Super Bowl caliber team that has been out there.

Gamble served under GM Trent Baalke in San Francisco, but he has been in charge of both pro and college scouting. It's a big hire for the Eagles and a major move for young GM Howie Roseman.

"Since Ryan Grigson left to become the General Manager of the Colts, we've been looking for the right person to fill his spot and we are excited about what Tom can bring to the team," said Roseman. "He's not only a talented evaluator, but also a good man and the type of person you want as a part of your team. Tom and I have had a great relationship over the years and I know he's excited to come home. He had a great run in San Francisco and they have been very successful over the last few years. He will jump right in with our group and get working on free agency and the draft."

Gamble, who grew up in Haddonfield, NJ, started his career in Philadelphia and if his name sounds familiar it should. His father was former Eagles GM Harry Gamble. No doubt his connections to the city played a big part in his surprising decision to leave the 49ers.

He's been part of team in San Fran that has hit time after time on their draft picks and had similar success when he was with the Colts under Bill Polian from 1988-04. That team made the postseason 5 times over that span.

The move says a lot about Eagles GM Howie Roseman, who looks less and less like the power hungry megalomaniac that Jason LaCanfora tried to paint him as this offseason. He has now shown twice this offseason that he has the ability to close big deals to bring big minds into the organization. First was when he resurrected the Chip Kelly deal and now in hiring Gamble, who according to Adam Caplan has been kicking this idea around with Roseman since last year.

Ultimately, his performance as GM will be judged on the players he brings in, but so far Roseman is doing all the rights things to ensure that he has the people in the organization around him to make sure he makes the right decisions.

[Note by JasonB, 02/13/13 5:03 PM EST ] 49ers GM Trent Baalke released the following statement.

"I would like to thank Tom for his hard work, dedication and loyalty over the past eight seasons. He has played an instrumental role within our personnel department, and is a true professional in every sense of the word. As a friend, I will always appreciate the relationship we have, and wish him and his family all the best."