Josh Rosen is now a member of the Miami Dolphins after last year’s 10th overall selection in the draft was dealt for a second round pick to clear the way for Kyler Murray to take over in Arizona.
Murray was selected first overall, fulfilling the prophecy put in place by Kliff Kingsbury last year when, while at Texas Tech, he did an interview where he said if he had the top pick in the NFL Draft, he would take the Oklahoma quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner. The problem was Arizona had traded a pretty significant haul to move up three spots last year to take Rosen, and taking Murray would be bailing on that investment quickly at a low return.
Still, coaches want to have their guys in place, and that’s more important at quarterback than anywhere else on the field. Rosen has not headed to South Beach just yet, as he is still in the Valley of the Sun, and on Saturday, got quite the reception at Larry Fitzgerald’s annual celebrity softball game. According to the Arizona Republic, Rosen received a rousing ovation from the fans in attendance, as he has handled the rumors surrounding a potential Murray pick and trade with a great deal of professionalism.
Rosen also gave the fans a show, winning the home run derby contest prior to the game, and then taking home MVP honors by hitting two more homers off of Devin Booker to lead his team to an 18-6 win over Fitzgerald’s squad. Afterwards, Rosen hopped on the microphone and offered another message of appreciation to Cardinals fans, wishing nothing but the best for his now former squad.
“I just want to say thank you to everybody,” Rosen said to the crowd. “We didn’t win as many games as I would have hoped, but I had a great time and an unbelievable year. Sad to see it up, but new chapters, new beginnings, and I’m excited for things to come. I’ll always be a Cardinal and root for you guys for as long as I’m on my feet.”
Fitzgerald also applauded Rosen for the way he’s handled the situation, showing a pretty incredible amount of humility from a young, top-10 pick who was traded after one year where he didn’t have much help. Rosen will now head to Miami, hoping to find personal and team success on a level he didn’t in his first year in Arizona, while the Cardinals plan on Kingsbury and Murray bringing some electricity on offense to the desert.
