Howie Roseman’s rise to becoming one of the top executives in the NFL started in 2000 as an unpaid intern with the Philadelphia Eagles. He eventually became the youngest general manager in NFL history at age 34 in 2010, a dream he’d had since childhood, when he would analyze college players and create draft boards.
But his journey wasn’t always smooth. After a power struggle with former coach Chip Kelly, Roseman was pushed out in 2015. However, he regained control the following year after Kelly was fired. In 2017, Roseman built the Eagles’ first Super Bowl-winning team.
After a disappointing 2020 season, he rebuilt the team again, leading them back to the Super Bowl two years later, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 38-35.
Now, the Eagles are back in the Super Bowl for a rematch with the Chiefs this Sunday. None of this would have been possible without Roseman’s excellent moves last offseason following the team’s collapse from a 10-1 start. “I really feel like the only thing that matters is the outcome on Sunday,” Roseman said. “I’ll trade every (personal) award you can ever get for another world championship.”
Roseman has been both criticized and celebrated by fans. In the past, many Eagles fans wanted him fired, but now they call the offseason “Howie Season” or “#HowieSzn” because of his ability to manage the salary cap and add key players to the team.
During “Howie season,” the Eagles made several major moves: they acquired Saquon Barkley from the rival New York Giants, signed a special teams player and turned Zack Baun into an All-Pro linebacker, and drafted cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, strengthening the defense.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni credited Roseman for his efforts, saying, “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said how good of a job Howie has done in getting these guys in here… With eight new starters on defense, really good defense in 2022, really good defense here in 2024.”
Some of Roseman’s picks, like Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson in 2020, and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside over DK Metcalf in 2019, have been criticized, but recent moves have paid off. Drafting DeVonta Smith in 2021 and acquiring A.J. Brown in a trade gave the Eagles one of the top receiving duos in the league.
Selecting Jalen Hurts in the second round of 2020, even though the team already had Carson Wentz, might be Roseman’s best pick. He also took a chance on Jordan Mailata in 2018, who had no football experience but became one of the NFL’s best left tackles.
Roseman doesn’t boast about his success and remains humble, acknowledging the tough nature of working in Philadelphia. “When you work in Philly, you know you’re one step away from banners flying over stadiums (saying ‘Fire Howie!’),” he said. “So I think that you gotta be humble. You have to keep your head down. All that matters is winning.”
When shown a photo of a fan wearing an Eagles jersey with “Howie” on the back and the No. 52 from the 2018 Super Bowl win, Roseman said, “Want to make him proud. One more.”
If the Eagles win this Super Bowl, fans might start calling the entire Super Bowl week “Howie season” instead of just the offseason.
