New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Saints GM damns Eagles' Howie Roseman with faint praise

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 8/24/23

In over two decades with New Orleans, Saints executive vice president/general manager Mickey Loomis has made hundreds of deals, but there’s one NFL executive he’d rather avoid.

While speaking with former defensive end Chris Long on the Green Light podcast, Loomis admitted to having reservations about dealing with Eagles general manager Howie Roseman.

“Well I think Howie Roseman is one of those guys, he’s very smart,” Loomis laughed, smiling thinly. “Look, Howie and I have done some deals in the past. He’s really a bright guy. He’s done a great job in Philly. But he’s also one of those guys where I have to keep both hands in my back pockets when I’m talking to Howie. And I mean that in the most complimentary way.”

Loomis has reason to be skeptical of Philadelphia’s GM. When contract talks between safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and the Saints broke down in 2021, Roseman was able to get him for a fifth and sixth-round pick. Gardner-Johnson spent only one year in Philadelphia but played well with six interceptions in 12 games as an Eagle.

A look back at the Saints-Eagles Trade. #Saints @SaintsNews https://t.co/BdRLvTBCov
— Kyle T. Mosley (@ktmoze) January 9, 2023

In 2022, Roseman sent Loomis two first-round picks (16 and 19) along with a sixth-round pick in exchange for the 18th pick overall, third- and seventh-round picks, a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick.

New Orleans traded the 16th pick to Washington but used the 19th selection on Northern Iowa tackle Trevor Penning. While Penning missed most of his rookie season with injury, Roseman traded the 18th pick to Tennessee for All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown and used the Saints first-round pick in 2023 to draft defensive tackle Jalen Carter in 2023.

Ouch. Brown and Carter would look pretty good in Saints uniforms right now. Of course, Penning could bounce back and become a dominant left tackle, but at the moment Roseman and the Eagles look to have won that trade.

Sometimes, you just have to know when you’re beat. Roseman just has Loomis’ number. Loomis should probably lose Roseman’s.

More must-reads: