Patriots: It’s almost like the Bucs are trying to troll NE with Josh Rosen signing
The Bucs snatched Josh Rosen right from under the Patriots.
When the Miami Dolphins cut ties with quarterback Josh Rosen after failing to find a trade partner, everyone rushed to the assumption that the New England Patriots would be a perfect fit.
It’s a classic scenario for Bill Belichick to strike, right? Assuming the team sees a resurgent year for Cam Newton, he’ll likely leave in free agency when his price tag exponentially increases, and then the Pats could insert Rosen, a former first-round pick and prototypical pocket passer, into the starting role.
It’s like Tom Brady never (kinda!) left! Oh, but it is, exactly, like he left, because Rosen opted to join the former Patriots QB in Tampa Bay with the Buccaneers.
The #Buccaneers are signing QB Josh Rosen to their practice squad, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. Rosen talked to teams that had openings on their active roster but with guaranteed $$ in his pocket already, went with the best fit in Tampa.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) September 6, 2020
Are the Bucs ever going to leave us alone? First they take Brady, then they trade for Rob Gronkowski, and now they jack a seemingly perfect fit from us on the open market? Rosen quite literally took an opportunity that won’t see him play as a starter for another two years (Brady’s under contract through 2021).
How did the Bucs convince him to join their practice squad under those circumstances? Add in the fact that Rosen’s former head coach and offensive coordinator at UCLA, Jedd Fisch, is now an assistant in New England? How on earth does this add up properly?
Best team fits for Josh Rosen (not based on insider knowledge, merely based on fit)
— Matt Joye (@mattjoye) September 5, 2020
• Patriots (Jedd Fisch is an offensive assistant there)
• Steelers (Big Ben near the end of the road, muddy QB2 situation, great team history and culture)
• Rams (QB2 situation is meh)
Perhaps the Patriots didn’t even bother making this move or considering it, but it did seem like a really good match and a prudent experiment for the future of the quarterback position when life after Newton comes (if it does).
Given Rosen’s tumultuous NFL career, which began as the No. 10 overall pick in 2018 before he was traded the very next offseason after the Arizona Cardinals drafted QB Kyler Murray, one could guess Belichick would’ve loved this addition.
Nope! Instead the Bucs swooped in, just like they did when they signed Leonard Fournette right out from under the Pats earlier this week. Right now, we’re focused on 2020 and Newton running the show, but man, we can’t wait for the Bucs to go away once Brady is done playing football.
