Joe Douglas says he's staying with the Eagles

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Joe Douglas said he will be back with the Eagles next season.

The Houston Texans requested permission to interview Douglas for their general-manager opening earlier this month, but the Eagles, as was their right, blocked that from happening. The Texans eventually hired Brian Gaine as GM.

Douglas, the Eagles' vice president of player personnel, wasn't mentioned as a candidate for any other GM openings. But after the success of this season, he could be a hot commodity for future jobs.

"It's something I'll probably address later," Douglas said Monday during Super Bowl LII media night. "I think everybody in this position is confident in their abilities. But I couldn't be happier."

Douglas has been credited with helping Howie Roseman, the Eagles' executive vice president of football operations, reshape the roster this offseason. Hired in May 2016, Douglas was responsible for crafting the team's 2017 draft board. But he clearly also played a role in the Eagles' acquiring players through free agency and trades.

Roseman explained the Eagles' reasoning for denying Douglas the opportunity to meet with the Texans.

"I think the way that the league rules are is that during the season it's not expected that you're allowing people to interview," Roseman said. "That's the way rules are written, and we're going to abide by the way the rules are written. Joe's a valuable member of our organization. We love having him in Philadelphia."

While Roseman is essentially the Eagles' GM — he retains final say over personnel decisions — the GM position is vacant and Douglas could be in line for a promotion. The 40-year-old scout spent most of his formative years with the Ravens working under Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome.

When he arrived in Philly, Douglas said he wanted to bring physical, hard-nosed players to the Eagles. Wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith, defensive tackle Tim Jernigan and safety Corey Graham are the most prominent recent additions with links to Douglas from his time in Baltimore and Chicago.

In the draft, Douglas said he wanted to focus more on a prospect's college production than on projection. First-round defensive end Derek Barnett has been a steady contributor all season. The rest of the 2017 class hasn't played as much, but second-round cornerback Sidney Jones missed most of the season with an Achilles injury.

Douglas wouldn't take credit for the Eagles' turnaround, but the NFL is noticing.

"It's flattering, but at the end of the day, your name is getting out there because of guys like Carson Wentz and Lane Johnson," Douglas said. "It's the players. It's the team. Tom Brady, Ray Lewis, Peyton Manning – they made a lot of coaches a lot of money."