Jake Rosenberg, salary cap executive and GM Howie Roseman’s longtime aide, is leaving the Eagles

ORLANDO — Jake Rosenberg, the Eagles’ longtime salary cap executive and one of general manager Howie Roseman’s closest aides, is leaving the team when his contract expires after the NFL draft next month.

Rosenberg, whose formal title is vice president of football administration, said that the decision was his alone and that he hopes to stay in the NFL and work for a team in which he can pursue his goal of becoming a GM.

“Over a pretty extended period of time I have just thought to myself that if it doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards for me to advance in this league, and have a chance to keep pushing and growing, that at the end of the day, what is involved to do this in terms of a life perspective, it’s not going to be worth it,” Rosenberg told The Inquirer.

Roseman confirmed that Rosenberg, a friend since they were in elementary school, will not return after 12 seasons with the Eagles — many that ended with playoff appearances and one with a Super Bowl victory.

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“Over the last 12-plus years, Jake has been so important to our team and a big part of our success,” Roseman said this week at the NFL meetings. “More importantly, he’s a true friend who has built lifelong relationships here, throughout this league and beyond. While I hate to lose him, I wish him nothing but success going forward.

“I wish we could keep him, but he and I have always discussed how important it is to continue to grow and look for new challenges. He deserves the opportunity to become a free agent and whatever he decides is next, I know he’s going to be successful.”

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While Rosenberg, 48, may have toiled in relative public obscurity, he was Roseman’s chief strategist in player signings and acquisitions for years. He played a vital role in cap management, contract negotiations, and compliance with the collective bargaining agreement.

Rosenberg’s job also included player evaluation and working with the coaching staff, along with the various departments within football operations and scouting.

“I feel a certain way about myself and what I’ve learned,” Rosenberg said, “and I feel like I don’t hesitate to tell people I work for the best general manager in the NFL as far as having every skill necessary to be successful in that job.

“I’ve seen team building, I’ve seen turnarounds, I’ve seen just about every single thing that would be asked of somebody to do in terms of running a team. And Howie makes all the decisions and is the decision maker, but I would love an opportunity to continue to grow, to see if I could execute in my own way.”

Roseman remains one of a handful of GMs who is the chief negotiator for his team. The Eagles promoted analytics expert Alec Halaby and the NFL rules-proficient Jon Ferrari as assistant GMs two years ago. Halaby interviewed for GM vacancies with the Panthers and Commanders this offseason.

Bryce Johnston, who was hired as an administrative intern in 2016, has risen on the transactions side of football operations and often collaborates with Rosenberg and Roseman.

Rosenberg, meanwhile, has seen his duties expand, but in terms of greater responsibility he has hit the proverbial glass ceiling in Philly.

“Howie and I have been super-communicative about this,” Rosenberg said, “and I never in a million years would want to leave in a bad way, burn any bridges, or undo any of the positive goodwill that I think I’ve created in my time here.”

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NFL agent Mike McCartney, who worked in the league as a scout and with the Eagles as a personnel executive, has brokered numerous deals with Rosenberg. He said that Rosenberg is held in high regard around the league and is viewed as a fair but tough negotiator.

“Jake Rosenberg is as smart as anyone in the NFL and he’s also a great person,” McCartney said. “His ability to build relationships with personnel people, coaches, and agents is terrific. I see it as a loss for the Eagles, and if another team were to work with Jake it would be a great benefit to them.”

Rosenberg worked in bonds and commodities as a trader before joining the Eagles in 2012. After the NFL implemented the salary cap in 1994, teams began hiring personnel from various sectors outside football to manage the business side of the game.

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Roseman was one of the first to effectively cross over and others have followed as the function of the modern GM has grown beyond primarily scouting. Former Eagles executive Andrew Berry is a more recent example with the Browns.

Rosenberg said he has the tools to follow their path.

“I watch players and I think I have value to bring in terms of my perspective, mainly because I work across every function,” he said. “I deal with analytics. I work super-closely and would consider a lot of our scouts and people who have gone to other teams amongst my closest friends.

“I definitely participate in the evaluation. I participate in any real strategic decision we make.”

While he aspires to find a new home in the NFL, Rosenberg said he’s doesn’t know if his next job will remain within the most popular sports league in America.

“That’s not something that everybody gets to choose,” he said.