Miami Dolphins have the leverage in a potential Josh Rosen trade

The Miami Dolphins own the leverage in any potential deal with the Arizona Cardinals involving Josh Rosen.

After the Arizona Cardinals officially took former Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the number one pick, Josh Rosen trade possibilities began to heat up. At the top of the teams listed as potential trade suitors are the Miami Dolphins.

NBC Sports’ Peter King reported earlier this week that there was no team in the league researching Josh Rosen more than Miami. Once Murray was drafted by Arizona, it was thought that Rosen could become a Dolphin by the end of the night. That obviously did not occur, but talks continued between the teams following the conclusion of the first round.

Although a trade was not agreed upon last night, Miami’s odds of acquiring Rosen increased as the night went on. Both the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins had been linked as potential landing spots for Rosen heading into the 2019 NFL Draft. The Giants and Redskins took quarterbacks, however, with their respective first-round picks.

New York surprised many when they selected former Duke QB Daniel Jones with the number six overall pick. Many believed that the Giants liked Jones, but that it was more likely they would take him with their second first-round pick at number 17. The Giants instead used that pick to take former Clemson defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence.

The Redskins, on the other hand, stood pat with their number 15 pick. A very smart move on their part as they saw former Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins fall right into their laps. Many people had predicted that Washington would trade up to select Haskins. They didn’t have to, but they did make a move to trade back into the first round later on in the night. The Redskins agreed to a trade with the Indianapolis Colts to acquire the 26th overall selection, which they used to select former Mississippi State defensive end Montez Sweat.

The fact that both the Giants and Redskins took quarterbacks with their first selections was good news for Miami. In contrast, it wasn’t so much for Arizona. Washington and New York are now out of the running for a QB. The fewer teams interested in trading for Rosen will drive down the asking price. As it stands, the Dolphins would be the only place where Rosen could possibly start.

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Miami signed Ryan Fitzpatrick this offseason, but if they were to make a deal for Rosen then he would ultimately become the starter. The only other teams that have been rumored to still have an interest in Rosen are the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Chargers. In neither scenario would Rosen be the initial starter, and he would need to wait for either Tom Brady or Philip Rivers to eventually retire.

Rosen would not be happy in that situation although he doesn’t have any say as to which team he goes to. The Cardinals have stated that they would be okay with keeping Rosen, but that’s probably not a smart idea. There is likely to be some friction in the locker room with both players on the roster. Rosen doesn’t seem keen to the idea either apparently as he has already unfollowed the Cardinals account on Twitter.

At this point, many believed that a trade with the Dolphins is imminent. But what could Arizona expect in return as compensation? When rumors began swirling that they could take Murray, the Cardinals wanted a first-rounder in return for Rosen. We’re well past that idea though.

Earlier in the week, it was rumored that Rosen could possibly be had for a third-round pick. That would’ve been great value for a team like Miami, and still would be if a trade were to occur. But could they get an even better deal from their end?

With the Giants and Redskins no longer in the market, Miami holds all the leverage. They’ve made it clear that they are looking at the 2020 class to add a quarterback. They backed up that statement on Day 1 by passing on Haskins in favor of former Clemson DL Christian Wilkins. Miami may be intrigued at the thought of adding Rosen, but they don’t need to.

One has to think they’ve made that abundantly clear to the Cardinals. It’s possible that Miami is telling Arizona that they want to part with a Day 3 pick instead. Arizona may hold out hope for a better offer, but they might not get one.

The Patriots and Chargers could decide to take quarterbacks on Day 2 or 3 that they can develop instead of taking on a disgruntled Rosen. The Dolphins staff understands they hold the cards and are in no rush to make a deal happen.

They very well could make it happen, and decide that a third-round pick this year is worth it. Miami could also prolong the situation or elect to draft a QB of their own later on as most had projected them to do so. Either way, the Dolphins are in the driver’s seat.