From Underdogs to Champions: The Cultural Shift That Transformed the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PSF) - The Philadelphia Eagles are one of the oldest NFL franchises dating back all the way to 1933 when the team was founded. The franchise would have highs and lows such as the team making its first Super Bowl appearance in the 1980 season. After the 1980 season, the team made the playoffs every few years but could never get past the divisional round. This all changed on May 6th, 1994 when the franchise was sold to Jeffery Lurie.
Photograph by Chris Crisman
Lurie brought something the franchise had lacked, culture. In 1999, Lurie made a franchise-altering decision. Lurie hired Andy Reid as the next Head Coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. At the time, the hire was met with mixed reactions. Safe to say, Lurie made the right move. Reid brought consistent success to the franchise over a 13-year tenure, he had an impressive record of 130-91-1 in the regular season, five NFC championship game appearances, and one Super Bowl appearance in 2004. The coach showed the NFL world that the Philadelphia Eagles were an organization worth being respected and one that wasn’t going away anytime soon. Reid’s tenure eventually ran its course and he was fired after the 2012 season.
Lurie encountered his first blip on his resume by hiring an up-and-coming college coach named Chip Kelly. Kelly only lasted three seasons in Philadelphia, resulting in only one playoff appearance in which the team lost in the first round. The main reason Kelly did not succeed was Lurie promoting him to General Manager in the 2014 season. By promoting Kelly, Lurie had long-time employee and former General Manager, Howie Roseman, demoted to another position in the front office. Eventually, Lurie saw the lack of results on the field and fired Kelly, he promoted Roseman back to General Manager and then hired Doug Pederson going into the 2016 season.
Similar story to Reid, Lurie had done it again. Doug Pederson’s tenure in Philadelphia wasn’t long but was extremely successful. In his second year, Pederson coached the team to a 13-3 record and a win in the Super Bowl. This is the only time the franchise has ever won the championship. Though Pederson never got back to the Super Bowl with Philadelphia, the standard was set. The team made back-to-back playoff appearances in 2018-19, and the standard was now post-season or bust under Pederson. After the 2019 season, the franchise started to struggle. Roseman struggled to draft in both the 2019 and 2020 draft, such examples are draft picks J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Jalen Raegor. Due to an underwhelming roster construction, the team went 4-12 resulting in Pederson getting fired.
2021 was a turning point for the franchise. Lurie decided to hire a new Head Coach named Nick Sirianni. This wasn’t all, Roseman started to hit on his draft picks again, such as wide receiver DeVonta Smith. The combination of improved roster construction and Sirianni’s coaching resulted in the team making the playoffs at the end of the 2021 season. This was just a hint of what was to come. In 2022, Roseman stayed busy in the offseason by signing numerous free agents that contributed to the team. He also made a blockbuster move to acquire wide receiver A. J. Brown on draft night while capping the offseason off with numerous draft picks that did contribute during the season. In the 2022 season, Philadelphia overachieved and made its second Super Bowl appearance in only six seasons. The team went on an exciting run due to the contribution of both young star players and long-tenured veterans. The Philadelphia Eagles were now seen as an elite organization, this level of success in such a short time with as much roster and coaching overhaul the franchise went through is an impressive feat, to say the least.
Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
In the 2023 offseason, star quarterback Jalen Hurts was signed to a five-year contract extension. Roseman continued to make moves in both free agency and especially the draft. Roseman took a gamble taking Jalen Carter as the team’s first pick in the 2023 draft. Carter fell in the draft due to off-the-field character issues, these scared many teams but not Philadelphia. The reason the Philadelphia Eagles had the luxury of picking Carter but other teams didn’t is due to the culture established by the franchise. The culture the franchise brings is a winning mentality that can be seen in all aspects such as the owner, coach, and general manager. This culture can also be seen in the players as well. Ranging from the veterans who have been with the team for a decade such as Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Jason Kelce, and Lane Johnson, but it doesn’t stop there. The winning mentality seen in Jalen Hurts is something that many players strive to have, this mentality has bled through the team resulting in only positive outcomes. All of this combined is the reason why the Philadelphia Eagles are so successful to this day.
