There’s something about the name. Howie—not Howard. Howie Roseman sounds like a friendly fellow who might be nice to work for or grab a beer with, who will make you a fair, honest deal. Howie is disarming, charming.
Howard Roseman? He’s a partner in a white-shoe law firm, or maybe a number-crunching accountant, or a dreaded IRS auditor. A ruthless negotiator. Howard is cautious and conventional, wound too tightly.
But don’t be fooled. This particular Howie is not a happy-go-lucky sort. He’s no Howie Mandel or even Howie Long. No, Roseman is focused on football and football only, a 24/7/365 passion—obsession, really.
“It’s all I think about all the time,” Roseman said as his Philadelphia Eagles prepared for Super Bowl LIX against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in New Orleans.
“I’m thinking about what we are going to do next year in August. I’m thinking about what 2026 looks like and 2027 looks like every night when I go to bed.”
Roseman has been this way since Philadelphia hired him in 2000 as an eager, 24-year-old unpaid intern, fresh out of law school.
Today, approaching his 50th birthday as the widely respected architect of his third Super Bowl team in eight years, the Eagles’ executive vice president/general manager is renowned for his roster-building superpower.
What he did to reconstruct this team following last season’s 1-7 collapse (after a 10-1 start) was arguably his finest work to date.
Over the span of two days last March, Roseman signed running back Saquon Barkley and linebacker Zack Baun and brought back safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Barkley went on to rush for more than 2,000 yards as the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year. Baun racked up 151 tackles and was a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year. Gardner-Johnson helped a pass defense that ranked 31st in 2023 finish first in 2024.
Over the span of two days last April, Roseman re-signed receiver A.J. Brown and drafted defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Brown delivered his third 1,000-yard year in three seasons since Roseman swindled the Tennessee Titans for him in 2022, and both Mitchell and DeJean were finalists for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
These were not miracles performed by “Saint Howie.” These and myriad other moves, including the signing and subsequent Lazarus-like revival of offensive lineman Mekhi Becton, were the result of countless hours of juggling present and future considerations and successfully navigating the murky waters of financial flexibility.
“That’s my role. While I enjoy the team on Sundays, the rest of the week I’m thinking about next year, and it’s very opposite to what goes on during the week,” Roseman said.
“Everyone’s focused on how we’re beating that opponent, and I want to beat that opponent, too, but I’m thinking about the players in the draft, the players in free agency, how we’re allocating our resources, how we’re ensuring that we’re lined up for a staff member who leaves, and I think that that’s the way that our job is kind of set up.”
This Howie is all business. Sure, Roseman is thrilled to be back in the Super Bowl. But there’s no time for beignets and Bourbon Street, not free agency and the draft around the corner and head coach Nick Sirianni’s contract up after the 2025 season.
There’s work to be done. There’s always more work to be done.
