Eagles Promote Adam Berry To Assistant GM, Add Mike Maccagnan To Staff
Following Alec Halaby‘s decision to leave his assistant general manager post with the Eagles, the team has made moves to solidify that tier under longtime front office boss Howie Roseman.
The team extended assistant GM Jon Ferrari and has since announced Adam Berry‘s promotion to the AGM level. The twin brother of Browns GM (and ex-Eagles exec) Andrew Berry, Adam will move from vice president of football operations and strategy into Halaby’s old post. This is among the promotions and hires unveiled by the team Wednesday.
The most notable staff addition in Philly comes via a Mike Maccagnan hire. Maccagnan, the Jets’ GM from 2015-19, is joining the Eagles as a personnel executive. Maccagnan, 58, has not held an NFL role since the Jets fired him following the 2019 draft. He carries 25-plus years of NFL experience, however, and will join Joe Douglas as ex-Jets GMs on Roseman’s staff.
Douglas’ New York GM predecessor oversaw five Jets drafts, including first-round picks of Leonard Williams, Jamal Adams, Sam Darnold and Quinnen Williams, but was unable to stop the franchise’s playoff drought. Douglas followed suit, compounding the Jets’ QB trouble by trading Darnold and attempting to build around Zach Wilson. Rumors of a power struggle between Maccagnan and then-new Jets HC Adam Gase emerged when the team moved on, and Gase helped the Jets bring in Douglas.
Prior to his 2015 Jets hire, Maccagnan spent 15 years on the scouting side with the Texans. He finished that tenure by serving four years as the team’s college scouting director. This run included the team’s J.J. Watt draft choice. Prior to being in on the ground floor in Houston, Maccagnan spent seven years as a Washington scout.
In his second stint with the Eagles, Douglas will rise from the scouting level to senior VP of player personnel. This notable title bump comes after the Falcons interviewed the six-year Jets GM this offseason. Douglas is back in a familiar role, having served as the team’s VP of player personnel from 2016-19 — ahead of his Jets GM ascent. Roseman rehired Douglas in May 2025.
Alan Wolking will slide from director of player personnel to VP of football ops and strategy. Wolking has been with the Eagles since 2011, when Roseman and Andy Reid were working together to lead the operation. Phil Bhaya, who is moving from player personnel director to VP of player personnel, has been with the team since 2014.
Jeremy Gray, whom the Eagles hired in 2022, is moving from assistant director of player personnel to director of that department. Lee Divalerio, who had served on the scouting level previously, is rising to assistant director of pro scouting. Divalerio has been with the Eagles since 2017. The Eagles are also elevating Preston Tiffany (to southwest area scout) and hiring Caspian Svenson as a pro scout.
As for Berry, he has made a major climb in just three years in football. A longtime Goldman Sachs staffer, Berry joined the Eagles in 2023 as their director of football operations and strategy; this came three years after the Eagles saw then-staffer Andrew land the Browns’ GM gig. Adam, 39, has never worked with his brother in the NFL.
This rise, however, figures to place the less experienced Berry twin on the GM radar. The Eagles have regularly lost talent in their front office, with the 2022 offseason seeing four Roseman lieutenants — Ian Cunningham, Catherine Hickman, Brandon Brown, Andy Weidl — all leave for AGM roles elsewhere (Cunningham has since been hired as Falcons GM). Less turnover has ensued in recent offseasons, however, and Roseman will turn to Berry and Ferrari as his right-hand men moving forward.
Staff Notes: Dennison, Cards, Falcons, Titans
After two players filed grievances against the Jets in recent months, the franchise has an issue with former offensive line coach Rick Dennison. Now on the Vikings’ staff, Dennison spent the 2018 season as the Jets’ O-line coach and run-game coordinator. A dispute about Dennison’s contract has emerged, with the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta reporting in an expansive piece the Jets and their former assistant have been at odds for a year about his deal. Dennison wanted to stay on as Jets O-line coach, but then-new Jets HC Adam Gase replaced all of Todd Bowles‘ 2018 offensive staff.
The parties are at odds over a roughly $1MM payment. Previous Jets GM Mike Maccagnan, after informing Dennison he would not be on Gase’s 2019 staff, gave Dennison permission to pursue other jobs. The Jets then signed off on the ex-NFL OC receiving the money but subsequently changed their tune, Mehta adds. Gase told some he discussed with Dennison a move to the scouting staff, but Mehta notes no such discussion occurred. Unless the Jets and Dennison reach a settlement, a hearing at the league office is expected to take place this month.
The Jets saw both Luke Falk and Kelechi Osemele file grievances against the team during in the Gase-Joe Douglas regime’s early months. Add the Dennison matter to this interesting list.
Here is the latest from the coaching circuit:
- Weeks after Jon Gruden brought in Rod Marinelli to take Brentson Buckner‘s job as defensive line coach, the longtime NFL assistant has another gig. Buckner will return to the Cardinals‘ coaching staff, the team announced. Buckner’s first major NFL coaching role came in Arizona; the former 12-year NFL defensive lineman spent all five years of Bruce Arians‘ run as the Cards’ D-line coach. He’ll reprise that role.
- The Cardinals are making more staff changes. Former 49ers special teams coordinator Derius Swinton signed on to become the Cards’ assistant ST coach. After spending 2018 on the Lions’ staff, Swinton did not coach this past season. Additionally, Spencer Whipple will rise from the quality control level to assistant wideouts coach.
- Mike Mularkey‘s retirement left a vacancy on the Falcons‘ staff. They filled it by promoting Ben Steele from offensive assistant to tight ends coach, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes. Steele spent five seasons with the Buccaneers — the final two as Tampa Bay’s tight ends coach — prior to joining Dan Quinn’s staff last year.
- Jason Garrett will bring another ex-Cowboys assistant with him to the Giants. Stephen Brown will join Joe Judge‘s staff as an offensive assistant, according to Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). Brown spent the past four seasons in Dallas, primarily working with the team’s running backs. Garrett previously hired ex-Cowboys staffers Marc Colombo as O-line coach and Derek Dooley as a senior offensive assistant.
- The Titans are promoting multiple assistants. Formerly operating as defensive assistants, Scott Booker and Ryan Crow will respectively rise on Mike Vrabel‘s staff. Booker is the Titans’ new assistant special teams coach, and Crow will now coach Tennessee’s safeties under new secondary coach Anthony Midget.
Coaching Notes: McDaniels, Cowboys, Rhule
Two years ago, Josh McDaniels had assistants ready to follow him to the Colts. Multiple staffers did so, even though the Patriots assistant backed out of the agreement. This time around, McDaniels looks to have a staff lined up again. McDaniels is now “very much ready” to leave New England, Albert Breer of SI.com notes, adding that the longtime Patriots play-caller has Redskins OC Kevin O’Connell and Colts defensive backs coach Jonathan Gannon set to be key players on his staff (should McDaniels accept a job if offered). The Redskins are interested in retaining O’Connell, their offensive coordinator this season, but his NFL years began as a quarterback under McDaniels during the latter’s first stint as Patriots OC. Gannon joined the Colts’ staff in 2018. Like McDaniels, Gannon is a Cleveland-area native. He was a scout with the Rams during McDaniels’ one season in St. Louis.
McDaniels is the frontrunner for the Browns job. He will interview with the Panthers on Tuesday, the Giants on Wednesday and the Browns on Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Here is the latest from the coaching carousel:
- Matt Rhule had issues with the Jets attempting to overrule him on staff decisions, but Ralph Vacchiano of SNY notes the Giants would not do the same. The Giants would let Rhule select his assistants, and the Baylor HC is believed to have candidates in place to follow him to New York if hired. Former Giants assistant and current Lions QBs coach Sean Ryan and Baylor defensive coordinator Phil Snow are believed to be Rhule’s coordinator choices should he land either the Giants’ or Panthers’ HC jobs, Vacchiano reports. Ryan, 47, held a key role with the Texans from 2017-18 but was with the Giants for nine years, including in 2012, when Rhule was on staff. Snow, 64, has been Rhule’s DC at Temple and Baylor. He coached with the Lions from 2005-08.
- Had the Jets hired Rhule last year, Jets management would have insisted Gregg Williams be attached as defensive coordinator, per Vacchiano. Previous GM Mike Maccagnan also had an issue with Ryan bringing brought aboard as OC. Ryan ended up in Detroit instead.
- As for Giants incumbent defensive coordinator James Bettcher, the front office was not exactly pleased with his game management nor were Giants brass happy with the entire defensive staff, Vacchiano adds. Lacking in talent and depth at linebacker and cornerback, the Giants ranked 31st in pass-defense DVOA. Bettcher’s better-stocked defensive front, however, produced the No. 7 run-defense DVOA figure.
- Not only is Mike McCarthy a fan of 30-year-old Cowboys OC Kellen Moore, Jerry Jones spoke of his desire to keep the young coordinator on staff in each of the Cowboys’ interviews, Breer notes. The Cowboys promoted Moore to OC last year, and Dak Prescott had by far his best season as a passer under the former Dallas quarterback’s guidance.
- The Falcons will not retain passing-game coordinator/defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson, according to The Athletic’s Jason Butt (on Twitter). Henderson has been with the Falcons since 2016. Additionally, the Falcons interviewed Joe Whitt for their secondary coach position, Butt notes. Whitt spent the 2007 season as Atlanta’s assistant DBs coach before being on Green Bay’s staff for the next 10 seasons. He coached the Browns’ DBs under Freddie Kitchens.
Poll: Which Top 10 Pick Has The Highest Bust Potential?
The NFL Draft is just barely in the rear view mirror, which means that teams are full of hope for their young rookies. But, of course, the NFL Draft is largely a crapshoot, and not every player will realize their full potential. 
This year’s draft had talent, but lacked a true consensus on the top player. Many evaluators pegged defensive end Nick Bosa as the player with the highest ceiling in the 2019 class, but other saw Alabama’s Quinnen Williams as the “safest bet.” The 49ers pounced on Bosa with the No. 2 pick while the Jets (and former GM Mike Maccagnan) were delighted to land Williams at No. 3 overall.
Leading up to the draft, much of the attention was on Oklahoma quarterback (and one-time MLB hopeful) Kyler Murray. When Murray announced that he would ditch the Oakland A’s, his stock exploded – Murray was considered a borderline first-round prospect in the winter, but wound up as the Cardinals’ choice at No. 1 overall. Murray has the speed that teams crave at the QB position, but questions persist about his size and overall lack of experience as a full-time starter.
The Cardinals’ long flirtation with Murray brought us the expected result, but the Raiders gave us the real first shock of the draft when they tapped Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell at No. 4 overall. Not to be outdone, the Giants snagged Duke’s Daniel Jones at No. 6 overall. Heading into the draft, neither player was thought to be anywhere near Top 10 consideration, but Mike Mayock and Dave Gettleman were unwilling to trade down and risk losing out on their guys.
The domino effect created by those picks allowed the Bucs to grab inside linebacker Devin White (No. 5 overall), the Jaguars to land outside linebacker Josh Allen (No. 6), the Lions to snag top tight end T.J. Hockenson, the Bills to draft defensive tackle Ed Oliver (No. 9 overall), and the Steelers to finish out the Top 10 with linebacker Devin Bush. Most of those picks were warmly received, but nothing is certain in the draft.
Which Top 10 pick do you think has the highest bust potential? Click below to cast your vote (link for app users) and back up your choice in the comment section.
Which Top 10 Pick Has The Highest Bust Potential?
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Daniel Jones 36% (1,439)
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Kyler Murray 33% (1,320)
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Clelin Ferrell 10% (387)
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Nick Bosa 6% (244)
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T.J. Hockenson 4% (166)
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Josh Allen 4% (146)
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Ed Oliver 3% (123)
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Devin Bush 2% (97)
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Quinnen Williams 1% (57)
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Devin White 1% (31)
Total votes: 4,010
Jets Shopped Before Firing Bowles, Maccagnan
The Jets started their hunt for a new head coach and GM before firing Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan, according to Manish Mehta of the Daily News and Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Jets To Interview Joe Douglas This Weekend]
Maccagnan, exec Brian Heimerdinger, and agent Erik Burkhardt huddled up with Christopher Johnson at his Manhattan condo in late November and early December to discuss the possibility of hiring former Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury, Mehta hears. Bowles, meanwhile, was not dismissed until Dec. 30.
During that same four-week window, Johnson also had back-channel conversations with at least two established coaching candidates without the knowledge of Maccagnan. Those coaches would have had the power to either keep Maccagnan or fire him in favor of their preferred GM.
Eventually, Maccagnan got his turn in the barrel. The Jets sacked Maccagnan in May, but they reached out to at least one potential GM candidate a week before he was handed his pink slip, according to Volin.
This latest example of the Jets’ dysfunction may give pause to the team’s current group of GM candidates.
East Notes: Jets, Gase, Bills, Eagles
It has been widely reported that Adam Gase forced Mike Maccagnan out of the Jets’ front office, but the head coach/interim GM denied those accusations in a press conference on Thursday.
“Me and Mike had disagreements on a few things. There was no personal rift,” Gase said (Twitter link via Darryl Slater of NJ.com).
Gase claims that team CEO Christopher Johnson called and told him Maccagnan was gone, and did not ask Gase for input on the decision (Twitter link). Whether or not that’s really the case, we know that Gase will have input in the hiring of the team’s next GM.
Here’s more from the East divisions:
- New Bills tight end Lee Smith‘s three-year deal is worth $9MM with $4.9MM fully guaranteed, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (on Twitter). The guarantees indicate that Smith had a strong market following his release from the Raiders.
- Eagles center/guard Stefen Wisniewski‘s one-year deal is worth $1.5MM with $250K fully guaranteed, according to Caplan (Twitter link). That’s a solid value for Philadelphia given Wisniewski’s experience and versatility. Before circling pack to the Eagles, Wisniewski also garnered interest from the Vikings and Jets.
- The Patriots no longer appear to be in the mix for Gerald McCoy.
Adam Gase Denies Power Struggle Led To Mike Maccagnan’s Firing
Barely four months after Mike Maccagnan hired Adam Gase, the Jets fired their GM. Gase now stands as the team’s interim GM and is helping with the search for Maccagnan’s successor.
It would appear, given the reports thus far, that the first-year Jets coach won a power struggle. He staunchly denied that Monday and that he will have control of the Jets’ 53-man roster after Maccagnan’s successor arrives.
“I disagree with that … as far as a power struggle,” Gase said, via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. “Whoever’s going to be hired is going to have the same control: Control of the roster. … I coach the football team. Nothing’s changing in that structure.”
Jets CEO Christopher Johnson said last week Gase would be in charge of the 53 in the interim, so it will be interesting to see how power is divided once a new GM arrives. Johnson, Gase and Jets VP of business affairs/general counsel Hymie Elhai will conduct the GM search, with Mehta adding it will be the team’s new HC that will play the lead role in selecting the next GM.
Eagles VP of player personnel Joe Douglas and NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah have been mentioned as candidates, though interviews have been requested with neither.
“That’s what it was,” Gase said (via NJ.com’s Darryl Slater), indicating he was surprised when Johnson told him of Maccagnan’s ouster. “He’s the owner. In this business, (expletive) like that happens all the time. It happened to me last year. I think that’s what it is. I mean, I work for (Johnson). That’s how we’re aligned, is the GM and the head coach both report to the owner.”
Over the weekend, Mehta reported Maccagnan heavily restricted Gase’s pre-draft input, leading to Gase moving his chair away from cameras during the draft and essentially letting the since-fired GM run that operation. Gase denied a large-scale rift existed.
“Since we’ve started, we just constantly were in communication, whether he’s coming down to my office or I’m going to his office,” Gase said of his work with Maccagnan. “That’s all we’re trying to do, is just make sure we’re on the same page all the time and making sure that we’re trying to put this thing together as well as we can in a short period of time.”
Jets Draft Led To Mike Maccagnan’s Firing?
While disagreements about the free agency cost of Le’Veon Bell and C.J. Mosley came up in the wake of the Jets breaking up their newly formed Mike Maccagnan–Adam Gase decision-making duo, the team’s draft appears to have played a bigger role.
The Jets’ pre-draft process did not consist of much input from Gase, with Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reporting Maccagnan did not want his new head coach affecting his scouts’ views on prospects. Gase then remained quiet during the Jets’ draft-related meetings and was not a factor in the team’s decision-making on draft night.
“It pissed Adam off,” a Jets source told Mehta of Maccagnan limiting his input before the draft. “Mike didn’t want him to speak up too much. It’s a weird philosophy.”
While Mehta adds Maccagnan used this strategy with Todd Bowles as well, Gase took his discontent to another level. The new Jets HC, who “badly” wanted to make recommendations on the types of players he wanted for his system, voiced frustration to many in league circles and prior to the draft moved his seat in the team’s war room — which was captured on video for the networks airing the event — away from camera view.
Draft weekend did not feature any Gase objections to Maccagnan’s picks and scant input from what Mehta refers to as a “detached” coach. This marked Maccagnan’s fifth and final draft with the Jets.
“(Gase) literally took his seat and moved it,” a Jets staffer in the war room informed Mehta. “That was extreme.”
The Jets, who currently have Gase in the interim GM role, have taken understandable heat due to the timing of this firing. Some members of the franchise’s brain trust would have given the go-ahead for CEO Christopher Johnson to fire Maccagnan in January, when Bowles was axed, but Johnson was leery of his ability to conduct simultaneous searches for a new coach and a new GM, Mehta reports. However, the awkwardness in the Jets’ draft room looks to have pushed the relatively new decision-maker to break up the Maccagnan-Gase duo.
Latest On Jets’ Firing Of GM Mike Maccagnan
Earlier today, the Jets fired GM Mike Maccagnan. Maccagnan was known to be on the hot seat, but the timing of his dismissal was an absolute head-scratcher.
On Wednesday afternoon, team CEO Christopher Johnson took questions from local media, though he didn’t give a ton in the way of answers. Here are the highlights from Johnson’s presser and the latest on the newly created vacancy:
- The issue of control over the 53-man roster figures to be a major issue for top candidates, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) hears. As it stands, head coach Adam Gase has final say on the roster. For what it’s worth, Gase reportedly wants the Jets to hire Eagles exec Joe Douglas, so he could conceivably be willing to cede control in order to bring his old Bears buddy on board.
- Meanwhile, Johnson says Gase will remain in charge of the 53-man roster (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post).
- Johnson did his best to downplay talk of a serious rift between Gase and Maccagnan. “I think there was very good synergy (between Maccagnan and Gase), but it was not everything that I was hoping for. I made the decision I want to find a better fit for this building,” Johnson said (Twitter link via SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano).
- The CEO said he made the decision to fire Maccagnan “in the last few days,” (Twitter link via Manish Mehta of the Daily News). He then added: “I’m not going to get into a lot of specifics about why we’re moving on from Mike.“
- Johnson said he’s looking for more of a “strategic thinker” with the new Jets GM and “someone who could collaborate with the building,” (Twitter link via Vacchiano).
Jets Fire GM Mike Maccagnan
The Jets have fired GM Mike Maccagnan, according to a team announcement. New head coach Adam Gase will take over as the team’s interim GM.
“This morning, I informed Mike that he was being relieved of his duties as General Manager of the team, effective immediately,” Jets CEO Christopher Johnson said in a statement. “Mike helped to execute the strategic vision of the organization during the last four seasons and especially the past few months. However, I came to the decision to make a change after much thought and a careful assessment of what would be in the best long-term interests of the New York Jets. I will start a search for our new General Manager immediately. In the interim, Coach Gase will be the acting General Manager. I would like to thank Mike for his time and efforts during his tenure, and I wish only the best for him and his wife Betty.”
Maccagnan has long been rumored to be on the hot seat in New York, but few saw the longtime exec getting the hook after the initial waves of free agency and the draft. The GM had two years to go on his deal and the assumption was that Maccagnan would be given at least one more year to turn things around.
Still, Maccagnan’s misses have been glaring. While he has hit on early draft picks such as defensive tackle Leonard Williams and safety Jamal Adams, he’s missed badly in the lower reaches of the draft, which is especially disappointing given his previous track record as a talent evaluator.
The Jets have also whiffed in free agency under Maccagnan’s watch, including the 2018 offseason in which the club failed to land quarterback Kirk Cousins and settled for a monster deal with cornerback Trumaine Johnson. The former Rams standout struggled all season and his five-year, $72.5MM is already looking like a misfire.
Despite all of that, Maccagnan was entrusted to allocate $100MM+ in cap room this offseason and use the team’s No. 3 overall pick in April. The Jets used a big chunk of their cap space to sign Le’Veon Bell, giving the franchise an elite running back in his prime for the first time since Curtis Martin. Meanwhile, Maccagnan used the No. 3 overall pick to select Quinnen Williams, who may prove to be the best overall talent in the 2019 class.
Vice President of Player Personnel Brian Heimerdinger will follow Maccagnan out the door, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).