Eagles salary cap expert discusses planning process of Carson Wentz extension

On last Friday’s edition of the Eagles Live Podcast with Insider Dave Spadarro, team vice president of football administration Jake Rosenberg talked about how he got started with the organization and his role with the Carson Wentz extension.

Rosenberg has been with the team for 8 years, after starting off as a 34-year-old intern, giving up financial/stock market work in Chicago. His entrance into the NFL from the financial world was a bit unique, but he had known Howie Roseman for “a long time” based on his experience as a trader. In that role, Rosenberg was responsible for valuing commodities, assessing what is expensive vs. cheap, and taking advantage of actual and perceived value.

In his current role, Rosenberg is in charge of the salary cap situation and understanding the CBA, but he views those responsibilities as more than just working with numbers on paper. It was his pitch of prioritizing relationships with agents and people throughout the league, that really sealed his position within the organization.

On the Carson Wentz extension

Rosenberg described the amount of work that goes into something like Wentz’s mega-deal as incredible, and the Eagles’ staff started some time in early-2018 to prepare for it. He also noted that it was a little tricky to extend past the current CBA, knowing that some of the contract rules are likely to change.

He said that they did try and get ahead of things, knowing that after 2020, the new CBA would make things difficult in terms of agreeing to a new deal. And while the team wasn’t allowed to do anything with Wentz’s contract until the end of the third season of his rookie deal, they were still able to look ahead at the market and discuss what they wanted to do. On Roseman specifically, Rosenberg notes that he very much tries to look ahead and purposefully think differently than the rest of the league.

Rosenberg said that they are fortunate that the team’s relationship with Carson Wentz’s agent is really good, which he notes is the case with most NFL agents they work with. (And yes, he was quick to acknowledge that they work great with Drew Rosenhaus — even after the T.O. situation years ago.)

He noted that things went smoothly with the Wentz deal because there is a high level of trust within the organization and between the Eagles and Wentz. The front office made it known they value the quarterback and had a commitment to getting something done that was fair for both sides — not just a team-friendly offer.

Rosenberg emphasized that they are always trying to offer fair market deals to their players, and that kind of reputation has helped them in free agency and re-signing players. He talked about how the Eagles really don’t try and “win” negotiations because getting a good deal with a player once may hurt them down the road, so they really try and offer contracts that are good for both the organization and players.