WHAT’S UP WITH ROSEN?
QB hit by trade rumors, critics
You’ve got to wonder what it’s like to be Josh Rosen.
The last time we heard his voice or saw him in a video on social media, the Cardinals’ quarterback was in Daytona Beach, Fla. He was picking up garbage and plastic waste from the ocean as a celebrity volunteer for the environmental clean-up group, 4ocean.
It’s sort of ironic that ever since that weekend, Rosen has been getting treated like garbage himself.
Someone wrecked his brand new Tesla last month in a car accident in Los Angeles. His Twitter and Instagram accounts both have been breached by hackers. He’s been the subject of never-ending trade gossip after only one NFL season. And he’s had his character and playing ability besmirched by the NFL Network’s Charley Casserly and others.
But with every new report or rumor that has the Cardinals trading Rosen and selecting former Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick in next month’s draft, Rosen has remained silent. He hasn’t responded to any of the incessant talk that he’s about to be shown the door and get dealt to the highest bidder.
Instead, he’s gone dark, turned invisible and hasn’t really been seen or heard.
It begs the question: Have the Cardinals privately reassured Rosen that he isn’t going anywhere and the team is simply trying to increase the value of the No. 1 overall pick by allowing all the rumors to run rampant? We have to assume they did. But, what if they haven’t told him anything? What if they’ve actually left him twisting in the wind of complete uncertainty?
The Cardinals certainly aren’t going to tell us and Rosen isn’t saying anything.
Maybe they’ve told him they just aren’t sure what they’re going to do yet and asked him to try and stay patient. We don’t know.
Publicly, the Cardinals have tried to say all the right things, suggesting Rosen knows how it works in the NFL this time of the year. Speculation always swirls around the No. 1 pick, after all.
Coach Kliff Kingsbury has said Rosen is “our guy” and that the quarterback has “the keys to the castle.” But then General Manager Steve Keim made a now-famous comment at the NFL scouting combine that Rosen is the team’s quarterback “for now.” The next day, there was a rumor Kingsbury was telling people Murray to the Cardinals at No. 1 was a “done deal.”
Kingsbury has since denied ever making such a statement, but Kingsbury and Keim were in Oklahoma on Tuesday meeting privately with Murray, and not coincidentally, almost every recent mock draft now has the Cardinals taking Murray first overall. That, in turn, has further drummed up the speculation that Rosen is on the trading block and could be moved any day now from here to the start of the NFL draft on April 25.
It’s interesting to note two developments that surfaced back on March 6.
On the same day a conspiracy theory began floating around that Nike stores in Arizona were slashing prices of Rosen jerseys, signifying a coordinated effort that had many thinking the team secretly put out word that the quarterback will, indeed, soon be traded, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Cardinals were not actively shopping Rosen and haven’t responded to any overtures they might have received about him.
But the Cardinals’ interest in Murray seems genuine. Kingsbury has loved his game since the kid was a sophomore in high school. He tried recruiting him.
Back in October, while praising an incoming opponent, he said he’d draft Murray with the No. 1 pick. And really, at this point would anyone be surprised if the Cardinals draft Murray?
Makes you wonder what it’s like to be Rosen.
The Cardinals traded a third- and a fifth-round pick a year ago to move up five spots in the draft to get him at No. 10 overall. He was immediately anointed by the team as its franchise quarterback. Did he struggle last season as a rookie upon replacing Sam Bradford as the starter? Yes, he did. But Tom Brady would have struggled behind the offensive line the Cardinals kept rolling out week after week.
Arizona went through 10 different starting combinations on the offensive line. That didn’t help Rosen. Neither did the fact that outside of Larry Fitzgerald and rookie Christian Kirk, Rosen got next to nothing from his receivers. Running back David Johnson couldn’t help, and as for the play calling, well, both of his last two offensive coordinators were canned.
Kingsbury said he loved the way Rosen hung tough and kept pressing forward. He’s also said he can’t wait to get started with Rosen. But Kingsbury seems so enamored with Murray, and the Cardinals appear so connected to him, you get the feeling Rosen’s days in the desert are numbered.
Though the Cardinals’ number of potential trade partners may have shrunk a little now that the Jaguars have acquired Nick Foles, the Broncos have landed Joe Flacco and the Dolphins have settled on Ryan Fitzpatrick, there has been no shortage of trade rumors following Rosen.
Various suggestions have him going to the Giants, the Redskins and, most recently, the Patriots as Brady’s eventual successor. The Raiders could still be in play and teams such as the Bengals, Chargers, Lions and Steelers will be eyeing future starting quarterbacks. So, so long Josh. Good luck.
Unless you aren’t going anywhere, which will make this entire mess all the more interesting. Imagine the reaction of the Cardinals’ fan base if Arizona trades out of the No. 1 slot, passes on Murray and keeps Rosen. After all the hype and build-up surrounding Murray, there probably will be a mini rebellion if Rosen returns as the starter.
As if the expectations on his shoulders weren’t heavy enough. Imagine the critics and the catcalls if the Cardinals start off 0-4 again like they did last season. Even if he stays and wins, it might not be enough for some fans who have already cozied up to the whole Murray thing. Especially if Murray goes elsewhere and lights it up like he did last season for the Sooners.
“I think that anything you may be hearing out of Arizona — whether it’s Kingsbury or whoever else — saying that they’re not going to draft him and they’re going with Josh Rosen is a complete lie,” FOX Sports analyst Tim Brando said recently during an interview with Scott Ferrall’s "On the Bench." “Kyler Murray is going to be the next quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals. Book it.”
Brando insists that as soon as the Cardinals hired Kingsbury, the wheels were in motion for the Cardinals to draft Murray, adding, “There’s absolutely no doubt.” Brando also cautions that anything we hear to the contrary from here until draft day is balderdash.
“Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,” he said. “It’s Kyler Murray now, it’s Kyler Murray tomorrow, it’ll be Kyler Murray on draft day.”
Better start packing, Josh.