Josh is our guy.
Kliff Kingsbury, head coach of the Cardinals
Kingsbury was quoted with this on the Cardinals website on Tuesday, reacting to speculations whether the Cardinals could use their first overall pick to draft a QB.
For now it seems like the Cardinals won’t use their first pick for a quarterback, but that in no way means that he’s their franchise quarterback and will be on the Cardinals roster forever. The speculations tell you at least one thing: The performance of Rosen wasn’t convincing.
Rosen’s performance in his rookie season
You can see that obviously by the team’s overall performance (last in the NFL), but as wins and losses are not a quarterback stat (!), if you look at Rosen’s personal stats that doesn’t make it much better. A 66.7 passer rating, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, 2278 yards and a completion percentage of 55.2% tell you everything you need to know. Yes, he had nearly no offensive weapons and his offensive line was – to be nice – weak. But he wasn’t great at all.
What makes Rosen the perfect Rodgers successor?
So why do I think he could be the successor of Aaron Rodgers, one of the greatest quarterbacks the NFL has ever seen? Well, let’s compare them both: Rodgers is a quarterback from a californian college (like Rosen) that was a first round pick in the NFL draft (like Rosen) and hasn’t played in his first three NFL seasons (unlike Rosen) and I think we all agree that this was as important for his development as a quarterback as for his personal development.
Rodgers – like Rosen – had a rough start in the NFL, but in different ways. Rodgers was drafted 24 overall and didn’t play competitive football in the NFL for three years. Rosen, on the other hand, was picked 10 overall in a strong quarterback class and had to play immediately (well, kind of). Something that didn’t go too well. You’d wish for any quarterback coming out of college that he has at least one year sitting behind an experienced veteran NFL quarterback.
Both quarterbacks are seen as brilliant minds, they come out of the same college, they have the same background and both have a strong arm. They even met each other before the NFL draft, when Rodgers told Rosen about his training methods and how he likes to step up training games by making it more difficult for himself e.g. by only looking to the receiver in the very last second. I’m pretty sure Rodgers would see himself more as a mentor to Rosen than Brett Favre saw himself to Rodgers (less would also be complicated to be honest)
Rosen is a free agent in 2022. Rodgers then has two more years on his deal. This would be the last possible time frame for the Packers to go after Rosen. I think it would be more realistic for the Packers to pursue Rosen after this season, if he has another down year. This would mean he’d have to sit behind Rodgers for three or four more years. I don’t know how realistic it is to think he’d do that – maybe not so much. But it could make a great, great quarterback out of him.
The Patriots rumors
Rosen is also connected with the Patriots as the successor of Tom Brady. In New England, Rosen would probably get an earlier chance of playing as a starting quarterback on a promising team. But – and there is a huge but – he would maybe have Tom Brady as his mentor because Brady could play football until he’s 70. And I think there’s one thing worse than having Brett Favre as your mentor – having Tom Brady as your mentor. If he just thinks you’re any good, he’ll throw you out of New England like he did with Jimmy G. And there’s another thing with the Patriots: BIll Belichik. The chance that he’ll stay an NFL coach much longer than Brady’s tenure is pretty small.
And what happens to New England when Tom Brady and Bill Belichik are gone is up in the stars (as a German saying goes). So as Josh Rosen I wouldn’t chose the Patriots, that’s all I’m saying. They could be the next Browns or Cardinals in three or four years.
Max Sachs is an international Packers fan from Germany. As a part of the Packers Germany, he tries to convince everyone around him to cheer for the greatest franchise on earth - or to start with, for American football in general. You can find him on Twitter @KaesekopfDE (the german translation for cheesehead).
11 responses to “Josh Rosen as the successor of Aaron Rodgers?”
Rodger’s went to Cal, not UCLA. You’re supposed to be a professional. Show me that the media hasn’t taken a huge dive like I think they all have.
I’m sorry, I meant to write a college in California. Also, I’m a spare-time blogger and not a part of the media. Mistakes happen – I corrected it. Thanks for your hint 🙂
Maybe I was a little harsh in my judgement. My apologies Max. I do appreciate the feedback!
I think this is writing a article because there is no news. Like 90% of football articles and BS mock drafts five minutes after the Super Bowl ends.
That’s your point of view, and I can understand it. It’s probably not going to happen, but there are definitely rumors of Rosen being traded to New England. So I wanted to respond to that by making the argument he could as well come to the Pack.
Oh and you’re right, there are no news currently.
Thanks for your comment!
I really like Rosen. Pocket smart passer with great IQ of the game. Three to four years understudy of Rodgers; bam.
Dude, Rodgers is from Cal, a school known for intellect. Rosen is from UCLA, a school known for having over-rated football teams that never quite get to the Rose Bowl or BCS
Haha 😀 Still, Rosen has a great intellect and seems to be a clever guy. There were even rumors before the draft (maybe you remember) that he’s too intelligent (!). So I don’t know about the colleges (I’m from Germany), but I do know that Rosen doesn’t fit your narrative of UCLA 😉 Also, thanks for commenting!
Rodgers worked with Rosen prior to the draft and liked what he saw of his abilities and knowledge of the game .
A little too early to consider a successor. Not a huge fan of Rosen or what it would cost to acquire him…rather wait a couple years and sell the farm for Sunshine at Clemson.
This dream could come true. Kyler Murray could be the Cardinals first pick in the draft. We wait until the smoke clears and see if Arizona will be willing to trade Rosen. I don’t know what we have to offer other then draft picks for him.