Josh Rosen Addresses Cardinals’ Drafting Kyler Murray, Trade To Dolphins

Josh Rosen tells Robert Klemko of TheMMQB.com that his heart “really didn’t believe” the Cardinals were going to draft Kyler Murray. 

“My heart really didn’t believe it was going to happen until a couple minutes before it happened,” Rosen said. “Common sense sort of kicked in then, but my heart didn’t want to believe it.”

Rosen said he planned to beat out Murray for the starting job if the Cardinals kept him. However, his agent, Ryan Williams, replied: “They don’t want that, and they know they don’t want that. We’re getting a trade done.”

“I absolutely would have competed if they kept me, but I would’ve been kind of bummed about it because I knew I wouldn’t get a fair shake,” Rosen says. “A GM’s not going to draft a quarterback and draft another one the next year, higher, and then play the first one. It’s admitting you made two mistakes. It just wouldn’t happen. I wouldn’t hesitate to compete, but I would know pre-emptively I wouldn’t get a shot even if I won the competition.”

As for being traded to the Dolphins, Rosen says he’s “fine” and thinks he’ll do well with “some legitimate adversity handed to me.”

“I’m fine,” Rosen said. “It’s not like I’m some child soldier in Darfur. I’ve had it pretty good. I think it’s time I had some legitimate adversity handed to me.”

“I try to put everything into perspective. If I’m bummed I’m getting traded by the Arizona Cardinals, I try to think I’m living in an awesome condo in the middle of Scottsdale. I’m on a team, I have food on my table, a good family. Life could be a lot worse, so you count your blessings and try to put good energy out into the world.”

Dolphins GM Chris Grier mentioned that that trading for Rosen was an “easy” decision, but it doesn’t stop Miami from taking a quarterback in 2020 if it needs to. 

“Every team in the league is looking for that guy that’s going to lead them to championships,” Grier said via Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. “And so for us, we’re in a position where we’re trying to find that guy, like a lot of teams in the league. So yeah, it was an easy decision. And it doesn’t stop us from doing anything in the future. Who knows? If things go well and we feel he’s the guy, who knows? But it doesn’t stop us from doing anything.”

The Dolphins gave up just a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick in 2020 for Rosen, who was drafted in the top ten by the Cardinals in 2018. 

Arizona has already paid Rosen a $10,926,792 signing bonus, so he has a very reasonable contract moving forward. His cap hits for the next three seasons are $3.99 million, $4.79 million and $5.59 million. 

Rosen, 22, is a former first-round pick of the Cardinals back in 2018. He signed a four-year, $17,664,284 contract and stands to make base salaries of $570,000 and $660,000 over the next two years of the agreement. 

The contract includes a fifth-year option for the Dolphins to pick up in 2021.

In 2018, Rosen appeared in 14 games for the Cardinals and completed 55.2 percent of his passes for 2,278 yards, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.