section_path: History/Jeffrey Lurie era (1994–present)
section_name: Jeffrey Lurie era (1994–present)
paragraph_text: Jeffrey Lurie era (1994–present)
  
  By 1994, team owner Norman Braman had become largely unpopular among local fans and a polarizing presence in the front office. Jeffrey Lurie bought the Eagles on May 6, 1994, for an estimated $185 million.
  
  In Lurie's first season as owner in 1994, the team went 7–9 and again missed the playoffs. Rich Kotite was fired and replaced by San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes, who successfully lured 49ers star Ricky Watters to join the team as a free agent.
  
  In 1995, Rhodes's first season, the Eagles got off to a slow start by losing three of their first four games but subsequently rebounded to finish with a 10–6 record and a playoff spot. In the Wild Card Round, the Eagles, playing at home, overwhelmed the Detroit Lions 58–37, with 31 of Philadelphia's points coming in the second quarter. However, the Eagles were again eliminated in the next round by the Cowboys by a score of 30–11. This would be Randall Cunningham 's last game as an Eagle. Cunningham scored the only touchdown of the game and the last Eagles postseason touchdown for six years.
  
  1995 marked the end of Cunningham's tenure as starting quarterback. Rhodes benched Cunningham in favor of Rodney Peete, leading to friction between the two. Earlier, rumors had circulated that Lurie and Rhodes had tried to trade Cunningham to the Arizona Cardinals. However, no such trade materialized and Cunningham retired shortly after the season.
  
  In 1996, the Eagles' uniform colors were changed from the classic kelly green to a darker midnight green. The team got off to a good start, winning three of their first four games. However, a week 5 Monday night game at Veterans Stadium against the rival Cowboys witnessed a season-ending knee injury to Peete, loss of the team's momentum, and the transition to an offense led by Ty Detmer and Watters. While Detmer played well and Watters rushed for 1,411 yards, the season conformed to what had become a familiar pattern: 10–6 record and early elimination (a 14–0 shutout by the 49ers) in the playoffs. In the 1996 NFL draft, future fan-favorite and hall-of-famer Brian Dawkins was chosen in the second round. The continued early playoff exits led fans and local media to cast blame on high-priced free agents (Irving Fryar, Watters, Troy Vincent, and Guy McIntyre) for not stepping up in big games, especially in the postseason. Rhodes gradually deteriorated under the stress of the job, and players were beginning to grow tired of his brash demeanor and often autocratic coaching style.
  
  After a see-saw 6–9–1 campaign in 1997, the bottom fell out in 1998. The Eagles suffered a 3–13 record, their worst since 1972, and were ranked dead last in numerous offensive statistics. Home attendance was declining, a quarterback controversy was deteriorating an already rudderless locker room, and the players had all but tuned out the embattled coaching staff. Left with little choice after a disastrous season, fan revolt, and sagging team morale, Lurie fired Rhodes and hired Green Bay Packers quarterback coach Andy Reid as head coach.
  
  By 1994, team owner Norman Braman had become largely unpopular among local fans and a polarizing presence in the front office. Jeffrey Lurie bought the Eagles on May 6, 1994, for an estimated $185 million.
  
  In Lurie's first season as owner in 1994, the team went 7–9 and again missed the playoffs. Rich Kotite was fired and replaced by San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes, who successfully lured 49ers star Ricky Watters to join the team as a free agent.
  
  In 1995, Rhodes's first season, the Eagles got off to a slow start by losing three of their first four games but subsequently rebounded to finish with a 10–6 record and a playoff spot. In the Wild Card Round, the Eagles, playing at home, overwhelmed the Detroit Lions 58–37, with 31 of Philadelphia's points coming in the second quarter. However, the Eagles were again eliminated in the next round by the Cowboys by a score of 30–11. This would be Randall Cunningham 's last game as an Eagle. Cunningham scored the only touchdown of the game and the last Eagles postseason touchdown for six years.
  
  1995 marked the end of Cunningham's tenure as starting quarterback. Rhodes benched Cunningham in favor of Rodney Peete, leading to friction between the two. Earlier, rumors had circulated that Lurie and Rhodes had tried to trade Cunningham to the Arizona Cardinals. However, no such trade materialized and Cunningham retired shortly after the season.
  
  In 1996, the Eagles' uniform colors were changed from the classic kelly green to a darker midnight green. The team got off to a good start, winning three of their first four games. However, a week 5 Monday night game at Veterans Stadium against the rival Cowboys witnessed a season-ending knee injury to Peete, loss of the team's momentum, and the transition to an offense led by Ty Detmer and Watters. While Detmer played well and Watters rushed for 1,411 yards, the season conformed to what had become a familiar pattern: 10–6 record and early elimination (a 14–0 shutout by the 49ers) in the playoffs. In the 1996 NFL draft, future fan-favorite and hall-of-famer Brian Dawkins was chosen in the second round. The continued early playoff exits led fans and local media to cast blame on high-priced free agents (Irving Fryar, Watters, Troy Vincent, and Guy McIntyre) for not stepping up in big games, especially in the postseason. Rhodes gradually deteriorated under the stress of the job, and players were beginning to grow tired of his brash demeanor and often autocratic coaching style.
  
  After a see-saw 6–9–1 campaign in 1997, the bottom fell out in 1998. The Eagles suffered a 3–13 record, their worst since 1972, and were ranked dead last in numerous offensive statistics. Home attendance was declining, a quarterback controversy was deteriorating an already rudderless locker room, and the players had all but tuned out the embattled coaching staff. Left with little choice after a disastrous season, fan revolt, and sagging team morale, Lurie fired Rhodes and hired Green Bay Packers quarterback coach Andy Reid as head coach.