CSN: Banner out as Eagles' president

The Eagles have made a monumental change to their organization.

Joe Banner is no longer team president.

A press conference will be held Thursday at 2:30 p.m. It will be live on The Comcast Network.

Banner will remain part of the organization as a strategic adviser to owner Jeffrey Lurie but, in a statement released by the team, said he plans "to pursue a major new opportunity within the sports field."

But don't expect Banner to leave the NovaCare Complex anytime soon. He told CSNPhilly.com's Reuben Frank that the departure is "very amicable."

"I'm still there and I'll be there for a while," Banner said.

Chief operating officer Don Smolenski has been promoted to president, but he will not assume all of Banner's responsibilities. Banner became known for his mastery of the salary cap, and according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, which first reported the story, salary cap management and contract negotiations will now fall under the purview of his prot?g?, general manager Howie Roseman.

Banner, 59, has been a member of the front office since May 6, 1994, when Lurie bought the team. Banner has been overseeing the day-to-day operations of the team since then and was named team president on August 1, 2001.

"There is no better executive in sports than Joe Banner," Lurie said in a statement. "We are making this announcement today because he is looking for a greater challenge, and in Don Smolenski I have a highly regarded, very worthy successor as president of this team."

Lurie and Banner have been friends since childhood. Banner's contract, a four-year extension signed in 2010, was set to expire after the 2013 season. The two began discussing Banner's desire for a new challenge over a year ago.

"It has been my privilege to work with Jeffrey Lurie over all these years," Banner said. "Together we have built a talented front office team that is now ready to assume leadership of this extraordinary franchise. ... I could never thank Jeff enough for the opportunity and support he has afforded me."

Banner told the Inquirer that he is "an employed free agent" who wants to "get involved with the world of buying and selling a sports team with the possibility of becoming part of a group that buys a team."

The move comes after one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory. The Eagles finished 8-8 after an off-season that saw them make dramatic changes via trade and free agency, which led Banner to proclaim that the Eagles were "all in." One of those free agents, Vince Young, infamously labeled them as a "dream team."

Lurie said the shakeup was not the result of a front office power struggle.

"No, the opposite," Lurie told the Inquirer. "It was all done, I think, for what's best for everybody involved."

The mess that was last season aside, Lurie and Banner rescued a floundering franchise two decades ago. Their most successful move was the hiring of head coach Andy Reid in 1999. Together the three spearheaded the team's resurgence and transformed it into a consistent contender (albeit not a champion).

Since 1995, Lurie and Banner's first full year with the team, the Eagles have made the playoffs 11 times. Only the Colts (13) have reached the postseason more in that span.

"As I have stated before," Reid said, "the success of the team is most often credited to the players and coaches, but without the support and hard work of the front office, led by Joe Banner, we would not have achieved all that we accomplished."

Smolenski, 45, joined the organization in 1998 as vice president and chief financial officer and was named COO on April 1, 2010. Before joining the Eagles, Smolenski was the Chief Financial Officer for the International Hockey League.

?Don is one of the unknown jewels in the NFL,? Banner said, ?and so deserving of this chance to help steer this great franchise going forward.?

"Joe has been a great friend, teacher and mentor," Smolenski said. "His support and confidence have been instrumental to my growth and development in the organization. As the Eagles new president, I?m excited to build on the work we?ve done together over the years."

Roseman's career with the Eagles wouldn't have happened without Banner, who in 2000 gave him an entry-level position to assist with salary cap matters. The 36-year-old Roseman was named general manager in January 2010.

"Joe and I have achieved a great deal since I acquired the team," Lurie said. "From building Lincoln Financial Field and the NovaCare Complex, to driving the work of the Eagles Youth Partnership and, of course, our successes on the field, Joe has been an integral part of everything we have done."

E-mail Andy Schwartz at aschwartz@comcastsportsnet.com

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