NFL Trade Rumors: Josh Rosen To Patriots Talk Heats Up, Washington Also Seen As Destination For Cardinals QB

With the Arizona Cardinals appearing increasingly likely to select Heisman Trophy-Winning, former Oklahoma Sooners Quarterback Kyler Murray when they pick first in the 2019 NFL Draft — a pick that, as The Inquisitr has reported, is now said to be “a done deal” — the Cardinals appear sure to trade away their first-round pick from last year, quarterback Josh Rosen.

But while numerous teams would be in the market for a former top-10 drafted signal-caller, one surprising possible destination for the 22-year-old Rosen has emerged on the pre-draft NFL rumor mill — the reigning and six-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, as Mass Live reported.

The Patriots, of course, have been quarterbacked since 2001 by future Hall of Famer Tom Brady, who guided the team to its latest Super Bowl victory last season, over the Los Angeles Rams, at the age of 41. But despite his triumphant conclusion to the season, Brady’s performance — while still in the upper half of NFL quarterbacks — took a step back. Brady’s passer rating of 97.7 was his lowest since 2014, and ranked 12th in the NFL, according to Pro Football Reference.

New England Head Coach Bill Belichick thought he had identified Brady’s successor in 2014, when he drafted Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round, as The Boston Herald reported. But Brady continued to play at an elite level, leading the Patriots to Super Bowl wins in the 2014 and 2016 seasons. Garoppolo was traded to the San Francisco 49ers midway through the 2017 campaign.

With Brady turning 42 on August 3, the Patriots may again be in the market for his successor, and according to SB Nation columnist Mark Schofield, the “latest scuttlebutt” around the NFL claims that the Cardinals would be willing to let Rosen go in exchange for no more than a third-round draft pick.

The Patriots possess three picks in the third round of the 2019 draft, starting with the 74th overall pick, according to the NFL draft site Tankathon. The Patriots also own the 32nd and final pick of the first round, and two second-round picks.

“Whether the Patriots would even be interested in Rosen is another question,” Schofield notes, however, adding that prior to last year’s draft, the Patriots were said to be “not high” on Rosen, due to unspecified “off-the-field issues.” But an “extremely team-friendly” contract coupled with the lack of quarterback depth in the 2019 draft may make Rosen attractive to Belichick this time around, Schofield added.

While the prospect of Rosen serving as a backup to Brady on the Patriots, and eventually succeeding the legendary New England quarterback, may seem far-fetched, Rosen will almost certainly end up somewhere other than Arizona if indeed the Cardinals take Murray with their top pick. Other NFL experts, such as Florida Sun-Sentinel beat writer Omar Kelly, say “the streets” consider “Washington the likely landing spot for Rosen.”