Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury Says Josh Rosen Is 'Our Guy' Amid Kyler Murray Speculation
After publicly declaring he would fully commit himself to football, Kyler Murray hired an NFL agent on Tuesday, but not without sparking controversy. Murray signed with Erik Burkhardt of Select Sports Group, the same representative of Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
The connections drawn—between Kingsbury's previous comments on Murray, in addition to their common representation—provoked the idea that Kingsbury could select the former Sooner with the first pick of the draft in lieu of Arizona already rostering quarterback Josh Rosen.
On Tuesday, Kingsbury stifled speculation Murray would be Rosen's replacement.
"Josh is our guy," Kingsbury told reporters.
Additionally, the Cardinals attempted to quell the internet storm by sharing a graphic from their official Twitter with the simple, four-word quote.
In October, Kingsbury, while still coaching at Texas Tech, said that he would take Murray "with the first pick in the draft if I could." The Cardinals, who hired Kingsbury in January, own the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL draft.
Murray, who also played baseball at Oklahoma, won the Heisman Trophy last year after throwing for 4,053 yards and 40 touchdowns. The Oakland Athletics drafted Murray with the ninth pick of the 2018 MLB draft and own his rights, should he renege on the NFL and decide to pursue baseball.
The Cardinals drafted Rosen out of UCLA with the 10th pick of the 2018 class. He assumed Arizona's starting job four games into the 2018 regular season. Rosen led Arizona to a 3–10 record as a starter, throwing for 2,278 yards, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions during his rookie season.