What could have been for the New York Jets.
On the day the Jets officially announced they were parting ways with quarterback Aaron Rodgers after two tumultuous seasons, a revelation from the franchise’s former general manager showed just how different things might have been.
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Mike Tannenbaum describes why he didn’t hire Howie Roseman
During an appearance on “SportsCenter,” ESPN NFL analyst Mike Tannenbaum, who worked with the Jets from 1997-2012, shared a story about a call he received from a law student named Howie Roseman who was desperate to break into football.
“He was a Fordham law student who was interested in getting involved and working in football. He reached out to me at the Jets. We didn’t have any openings at the time, but he was very persistent, very smart, very energetic,” Tannenbaum recalled.
In what turned out to be a franchise-altering moment for both teams, Tannenbaum revealed he referred Roseman to contacts with the Philadelphia Eagles.
“Here we are a couple decades later and he’s running the show, and obviously he’s thriving,” he said. “It’s a great story of persistence and following your dreams.”
Roseman would go on to start as an intern with the Eagles in 2000 and rise to the rank of executive vice president/general manager. The results speak for themselves. In his 15 seasons running the Eagles’ personnel department, Roseman has built rosters that have reached three Super Bowls, winning two, while earning Executive of the Year honors twice and compiling a 139-104-1 record.
“He’s richly earned everything that he’s gotten, nothing was ever handed to him, literally started off as an intern in the Eagles front office,” Tannenbaum noted. “Obviously, there was some bumps along the way, he hung in there and now it’s paid off handsomely.”
Don’t worry though, Jets fans! While Tannenbaum may have missed on Roseman years ago, he recently served as a consultant on New York’s search for a new head coach and general manager, helping land Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey. Only time will tell if this duo can finally turn things around in the Big Apple.
