New York Giants: Should team try to trade for Josh Rosen?

Quarterback Josh Rosen may become available for a team such as the New York Giants. How much should the Giants pay to get him in a trade?

For the next ten years, if not longer, fans, observers, and people given platforms where they can voice hot takes will debate if the New York Giants made the right move selecting running back Saquon Barkley over a quarterback such as Josh Rosen with the second pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.

It appears Big Blue may be able to steal from the well-known commercial and meme and ask: Why not both?

Unless you’ve decided to take a break from all things Giants-related following yet another losing season for the organization, you’ve probably seen and/or heard those rumors about new Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury potentially drafting Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, a decision that, theoretically, would make Rosen, Arizona’s starting signal-caller as of the middle of January, surplus to requirements.

Just about every mock draft out there has the Giants spending a first-round selection on a QB. That’s logical. Eli Manning turned 38 years old earlier this month. His fastball isn’t what it was during his physical prime.

Nobody knows, for sure, that Manning is going to return for the final season of his contract, especially if the Giants try to restructure that deal to save some salary cap space. New York’s future at the most important single position in sports is murky, at best.

As with most things in life and in sports, the Giants simply trading for Rosen isn’t a black-and-white matter. The San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers sit ahead of the Giants in the current draft order, but none of those teams need to take a flier on a quarterback such as Dwayne Haskins, the Ohio State product from New Jersey who is practically begging the Giants to take him.

Sure, the Jacksonville Jaguars could leapfrog New York via a trade, or the Jags could hold onto assets and sign somebody such as Nick Foles or Teddy Bridgewater in free agency.

New York head coach Pat Shurmur and general manager Dave Gettleman know more about Rosen than to-be pros who haven’t yet taken NFL snaps. There’s film on Rosen. Take his numbers from his debut season and throw them into the nearest waste container.

A coaching staff that started Sam Bradford over Rosen for less than 12 total regular season quarters was recently dismissed. Arizona’s offense stunk like hot garbage in 2018. Like most rookies, Rosen gets a pass for the rocky moments of his first year.

Say, for the purposes of this piece, Kingsbury and company shock the football world and put Rosen on the market. The notion that the Giants could ship superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. out west for Rosen makes for solid clickbait and sexy on-the-air discussion points, but it’s also downright laughable.

This wouldn’t be an instance of a franchise going all-in on a young potential franchise quarterback. In this scenario, Rosen becomes expendable to his current employer. Arizona wouldn’t be in a great spot to make high-priced demands.

The Giants, meanwhile, shouldn’t have much interest in entering a bidding war for Rosen, and Gettleman should laugh, disconnect the call and block Arizona’s number if Kingsbury or anybody else from the Cardinals ask for Beckham in return for Rosen. If Jacksonville really wants to gift Arizona the seventh overall selection and cornerback Jalen Ramsey for Rosen, the Giants should politely bow out and use pick No. 6 on a quarterback like Haskins.

Rosen isn’t Baker Mayfield, who produced a historic first season with the Cleveland Browns and who could win Rookie of the Year honors. If anything, Rosen’s stock is lower today than it was last summer. The Arizona quarterback didn’t receive a mention in the final rookie rankings posted by ESPN’s Jeff Legwold earlier this month. That company’s Adam Schefter was correct in saying QBs are currency, but nobody should pretend Rosen is all that hot a commodity this winter.

For a piece published on January 9, ESPN’s Dan Graziano ranked the Cardinals 27th in his “QB Confidence Index,” and he added the following:

"Of the rookie quarterbacks, Josh Rosen showed the least, though he had his moments, and he was playing on a team that didn’t grant him much help. If Arizona liked him a year ago, there’s no compelling reason not to like him just as much now. But the Cardinals have work to do before they have the kind of team that allows them to make a fair evaluation."

The answer to the question asked in the title of this piece is simple. Yes, the Giants should explore trading for Rosen, but only at the right price, one that shouldn’t be more than the sixth pick and a second selection thrown in there to allow Arizona to save face just in case Rosen becomes the face of the top franchise that plays in the country’s largest sports market.