PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — He scours the country for talent, relentless in turning over every stone to uncover hidden gems and always willing to engage in debates about the merits of rankings.
These qualities have not only turned Howie Roseman into one of the most successful general managers in recent NFL history, but they also make him a maniacal foodie.
That the 49-year-old, two-time Super Bowl winner is almost as determined to find his next great meal as much as he is the Eagles’ next great player may not be well known outside team headquarters at the NovaCare Complex.
But for people who work with and against Roseman, his obsession with food has become defining.
“We critique food more than players,” joked Ryan Grigson, the Vikings’ senior vice president of player personnel.
Grigson and Roseman came up through the Eagles together in the early 2000s. Grigson left for the Colts’ general manager gig in 2012, two years after Roseman was promoted to the same role with the Eagles.
They grubbed a lot as co-workers. That hasn’t changed since Grigson’s departure.
“I don’t think anyone would be able to stomach it,” Grigson said about people dining out with him and Roseman. “We expect to have the most perfect meal every time we sit down. Then, we usually grade the food, like a scout grade, an actual evaluation grade. We get that finite.”
“He’s a huge foodie, huge foodie,” said Joe Douglas, the Jets’ general manager up until his firing last November.
Douglas was one of Roseman’s top lieutenants from 2016 to 2019. As Eagles’ vice president of player personnel, he was privy to plenty of dinners with Roseman when they traveled together.
Over time, these outings began to take on a life of their own.
“It was always good to get an invite on the road, because it was going to be top of the line,” Douglas said.
Roseman spared little expense, both in planning and on the tab.
“He’s not going to squander one of the most important things in life, and that’s food,” said Douglas.
And that’s the exact type of pedestal Roseman puts food on.
“I’ve got a passion for all the ‘Fs:’ food, football, friends, family,” he told The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane on a new episode of the “unCovering the Birds” podcast.
Roseman started to fall down the foodie rabbit hole early in his tenure with the Eagles. He saw food as a means of breaking bread and breaking the ice.
“A lot of how I developed my relationship with [Andy] Reid was around food and my passion for food,” said Roseman, who joined the Eagles as an intern in 2000, the year after the team hired Reid as head coach. “It’s just kind of been natural.”
The road, however, is where Roseman’s talent-evaluation prowess for football and food really overlap.
“I’m always trying to find spots,” Roseman said.
He likens the process to his day job.
“There’s something that, to me, is fun about doing that, going to a restaurant, evaluating, and doing the same with a player.”
As long as Roseman’s making the pick, dining out with him is a coveted experience. But if he defers to someone else, the pressure is on.
“It’s not really a super gratifying spot to be in,” said Jake Rosenberg, an Eagles front office employee from 2012 to 2024. “There’s a lot of risk involved. It’s an upside-downside thing.”
Rosenberg, the team’s former vice president of football administration, ate with Roseman frequently.
Choose somewhere good, and maybe you get a couple pats on the back.
Recommend a restaurant that’s not up to Roseman’s standards, the disappointment is heavy.
“It’s intense,” Rosenberg said.
But still a good time.
“[There] are similar traits with football and building a roster,” said Rosenberg. “[He] takes recommendations from credible people, then orders a thousand appetizers for the table.”
To learn more about Roseman’s foodie habits, from his dining haunts as a kid to his thoughts on Philadelphia’s dining scene, listen to the latest episode of “unCovering the Birds,” which also features excerpts from a panel Roseman moderated with the award-winning restaurant duo of Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook.
“unCovering the Birds” is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. Look for new episodes each week during the regular season. Follow on the free Audacy app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you listen to podcasts.