Larry Fitzgerald Feels Bad for Sam Bradford After Being Replaced by Josh Rosen

The Josh Rosen era has begun in Arizona, as the Cardinals benched Sam Bradford in favor of their first-round pick in the second half of Sunday's loss to the Chicago Bears.

Larry Fitzgerald said he was disappointed for Bradford after the game.

"I feel bad for Sam because he's worked his tail off. But you have a first-round pick [behind you], I guess you're on borrowed time," Fitzgerald told reporters after the game. 

Bradford had been nothing short of dismal in his first three starts with the Cardinals. He's thrown for 400 yards and two touchdowns against four interceptions. Arizona has had perhaps the NFL's worst offense through three weeks.

"Well, I felt like we needed a spark," Cardinals coach Steve Wilks told reporters after the game. "Again, we got out to an early start, 14 points, got a little stagnant there and wanted to try to spark the time, and that's the reason why I made that decision."

Rosen completed four of his seven passes for 36 yards and an interception. He was sacked as time expired on a last-second Hail Mary attempt.

"Thought he looked pretty good," Wilks said. "Inconsistent in the end. We've got to do a good job for his protection, giving him time. But under the circumstances right there, being thrown into the game at that time, I thought he did well."

Fitzgerald, who has outlasted a number of eras in Arizona, likely feels for Bradford as a veteran. There have been a handful of potential Fitzgerald "replacements" that have cycled in and out of the Cardinals locker room over the years, and he's the one still standing.

Bradford, meanwhile, was almost certainly on his last chance to be a full-time NFL starter. The Cardinals are his third team in four seasons.