Philadelphia Eagles fire Tom Gamble

According to ESPN Insider Chris Mortensen, the Philadelphia Eagles have fired Vice President of Player Personnel Tom Gamble:

"The Eagles have fired Tom Gamble, VP of player personnel. It may be announced as "parting ways" with Gamble but it is what it is.

Wow. This is pretty surprising.

As Mortensen notes, the Eagles' official release does say that Gamble and the team have merely "agreed to part ways." But it appears that isn't the whole truth.

Gamble originally joined the Eagles during the 2013 offseason after leaving the San Francisco 49ers' front office. That was also the same offseason that the Eagles hired Chip Kelly. Numerous reports indicate that Gamble and Kelly had a strong relationship.

The relationship between Roseman and Kelly isn't so clear. Kelly used a one word answer to describe his relationship with Roseman during his final press conference on Monday: "Good." Kelly also went on to praise Gamble's football evaluation but only mentioned Roseman's ability with handling the salary cap.

Gamble drew attention last offseason by a number of teams with general manager vacancies such as the Miami Dolphins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Gamble ended up staying in Philadelphia to be close with his family. Gamble's father, former Eagles president Harry Gamble, then passed away in late January 2014.

The exit of Gamble seems to solidify the power of general manager Howie Roseman. Eagles Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie gave a strong vote of confidence in support of Roseman immediately following the 2014 season. There was never a strong indication that Roseman wouldn't be back, but the Eagles front office structure has drawn interest this season. A report from Tim McManus of Birds 24/7 in November noted that the relationship between Roseman and head coach Chip Kelly has "cooled."

"There have been persistent rumblings about shifting dynamics behind the scenes: Namely, that Kelly and Roseman’s relationship has cooled and that the collaborative process between coach and general manager is not where it once was (Kelly and [Tom] Gamble remain tight, per sources)."

Roseman released the following statement regarding Gamble's departure: "We thank Tom for his service over the past two seasons and wish him and his family the best as they move forward. I appreciate all Tom has done for our scouting department and our team."

UPDATE: Some thoughts on the Gamble firing.