Often, an indication that a celebrity couple has broken up is that the two of them have unfollowed each other on social media. It also appears to work that way for athletes and teams.
Josh Rosen, the quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, has unfollowed the team on both Twitter and Instagram, per The Big Lead, which cited some Twitter sleuthing by NFL reporter Ian Rapoport. The move follows the Cardinals’ drafting of Kyler Murray, who is also a quarterback, with the top overall pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday night.
Rosen, who was drafted by the Cardinals in the first round just one year ago after the team traded up in the draft to select him, had been expected to be traded in the event of the Cardinals picking Murray. But he remains a Cardinal as of Friday morning, and some NFL commentators said on the draft broadcasts Thursday night that the team may keep both quarterbacks on the roster.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Twitter that Arizona had had talks about Rosen this offseason with the Giants, Dolphins and Chargers. He added that “Arizona has no issues keeping Rosen; it is prepared to keep him if it doesn’t get a suitable offer,” although that was before he unfollowed his erstwhile team on social media.
The Cardinals have a different coaching regime — led by head coach Kliff Kingsbury — than they did when Rosen was drafted, and Kingsbury famously said last year, while he was still coaching Texas Tech, that he would draft Murray if he were in a position to take him with the top overall pick. Murray, who was drafted last year to play baseball by the Oakland Athletics, announced earlier this year that he was giving up baseball to enter the NFL Draft.
Two of the teams mentioned as possible Rosen destinations, the New York Giants and Washington Redskins, both drafted quarterbacks in the first round Thursday night, with Daniel Jones going to New York and Dwayne Haskins to Washington. Those moves would presumably preclude Rosen from going to those teams.
The Miami Dolphins, who did not draft a quarterback in the first round, remain a rumored team for swinging a trade for the quarterback. Rapoport tweeted that Miami has been “doing work on Rosen for weeks,” but that Arizona “won’t give him away.” The second and third rounds of the draft are scheduled for Friday night, so it’s possible that Rosen could be traded during those draft rounds.