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SI: Redskins Exec Laughed at Josh Rosen's 1st-Round Price Tag by Cardinals
April 30, 2019
Any leverage the Arizona Cardinals may have had in a potential Josh Rosen trade went out the window when the club selected quarterback Kyler Murray with the top overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft last Thursday.
According to The Monday Morning Quarterback's Robert Klemko, a Washington executive "chuckled" after being told Arizona general manager Steve Keim was seeking first-round pick for the second-year passer after the Cards drafted Murray.
"That's really bold for someone who just took a QB," the executive said, per Klemko.
Washington used the 15th overall pick on former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Meanwhile, one year after trading up to 10th overall to grab Rosen, Arizona had to settle for a second-rounder and a 2020 fifth-rounder from the Miami Dolphins.
It had been the worst-kept secret in football that the Cardinals were eyeing Murray. After all, then-Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said in October 2018 that he would take Murray with the No. 1 overall pick if he could:
Arizona hired Kingsbury in January.
One of the top prospects in a deep 2018 quarterback class, Rosen endured a tough rookie campaign. He completed just 55.2 percent of his passes for 2,278 yards, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 14 appearances, going 3-10 in 13 starts.
An injury-plagued Cardinals offensive line gave up 52 sacks a season ago, tied for the fifth-most in football.
Kingsbury and Keim did their best to voice their support for Rosen throughout the predraft process despite all of the buzz surrounding Murray, perhaps in an effort to try to retain leverage. While it's not clear what types of offers they may have received leading up to the draft, the Murray pick seemingly put the Cardinals in a tough negotiating spot.
Michael Silver of NFL.com reported during the draft Arizona would not "give away" Rosen. In fact, the team was reportedly willing to keep both young passers if it did not receive a satisfactory offer for the former UCLA star.
"If that's their position, then I'll just beat him out and Kyler can be the backup," Rosen told his agent, Ryan Williams, per Klemko.
Ultimately, though, Arizona shipped him to Miami. It just didn't get the first-round pick it had hoped for.