The 49ers are set to bring back Josh Rosen (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). It won’t cost them much to retain the former first-round pick, who is tethered to the team as an exclusive rights free agent. 
Rosen was cut by the Dolphins in early September and spent the bulk of the year on the Bucs’ practice squad. He has yet to impress as an NFL quarterback, though he has not been given the best of opportunities. The 2018 No. 10 overall pick struggled for the Cardinals — who ranked last in scoring and total offense in 2018 — and the Dolphins, who had perhaps the league’s worst roster in 2019. Rosen took over for Ryan Fitzpatrick in Week 2 and started the next three games that year, but Brian Flores didn’t really look back after giving him the hook.
The fourth quarterback selected in 2018’s five-QB first round, Rosen owns a career 54.8% completion rate and a ghastly 4.4 adjusted yards per attempt figure. He has thrown 12 touchdown passes and 19 interceptions in 20 career games (16 starts).
Still, there’s no sense in the 49ers giving up on the one-time Bruins star. Rosen won’t turn 24 until February, and the 49ers have him on the cheap.
That 1st round draft status certainly goes far in the league! Washed out of 2 bottom feeder teams and is still employed.
Yes still employed but more in the way Milton was still employed in Office Space.
Sooner or later the Niners are going to take Rosen’s stapler.
Not too mention forget to pay him
I guess that’s when he burns down Levi’s Stadium…
Well played!
Yeah we’re going to need you to move your locker to the basement to make room for some boxes. yeaahh
Not saying he’s good, but he was on two horrible teams with bad lines. It’s cheap so see what he can do for 49ers
He was in two terrible situations. Fans have such little patience for players learning the most difficult and complex position in all of sports. Quarterbacks that do well immediately are usually either generational talents, or are in good systems. Players like Romo, McNair, Rodgers, Brady, and plenty others came into this league as backups, and developed over time. We shouldn’t be so quick to judge quarterbacks based on small and horribly skewed sample sizes.
100% agree
Wasn’t he on bucs at one point?
Didn’t read it eh?
“Spent majority of season on Bucs practice squad”
rosen can play! i like the theory of a qb to be successful needs the three p’s: playcaller, playmakers and protection. never had that in zona (he had fitzgerald, injured d johnson, pathetic o-line and steve wilkes as his head coach) and miami (absolutely nothing on offense, horrible o-line and terrible oc). he could be just as “bad” as jimmy g and with some reps and familiarity can outplay jimmy g.
He has to be better than Mullins and Bethard. We definitely know that if Jimmy is still the starter next year whoever the back up is will see plenty of playing time.
Rosen has yet to play for a team that has the same OC two years in a row, that includes his time at UCLA. He deserves a chance to develop into a stable system.
I rated him behind Mayfield, Allen and Darnold when he entered the league, but this is another example of how crucial who a QB is drafted by as opposed to when. Rosen has never had a chance to succeed as a pro, he was in horrible situation behind an awful offensive line on the worst team in football in Arizona, then he was traded to an even worse situation playing on a team that was openly tanking in Miami, Ryan Fitzpatrick was more successful on that team because if his vast experience but it was impossible to ask a young quarterback learning his third playbook in three years to succeed in Miami. I’m not suggesting Rosen would be a star today had he been drafted by Cleveland, The Jets, the Ravens or the Bills, but i think he’s better than his results suggest and I don’t think Mayfield, Darnold or Allen would have succeeded either if they had been placed in the same circumstances. Both Rosen and Deshone Kizer are two quarterbacks who were victimized more by luck or lack thereof than there lack of ability. Would the Browns be coming off their second Super Bowl appearance if Patrick Mahomes slipped to the second round to Cleveland and would Mahomes be considered the best young quarterback in football….i sincerely doubt it. Would Kizer be out of the league had the Chiefs drafted him rather than Mahomes and allowed him to sit a full season and be coached by Andy Reid and staff…i doubt that as well. I’m not saying Kizer would be a league MVP had he went to KC, But I do think he could have had a solid career and been a solid nfl starter if he’d been drafted by a stable nfl franchise with great coaching. Am i saying Mahomes would be out if the league had he slipped to the Browns and been forced into the lineup as a rookie on an 0-16 team? No not necessarily, he probably has too much physical talent, but i promise you he would be nowhere near the player he is today. I never thought Rosen would become anything more than a below average NFL starter, he can still become that with the right coaching and if his confidence hasn’t been completely destroyed. Fortunately, self confidence was one of his strong suits coming out of UCLA.
You think it’s a coincidence that John Elway and Eli Manning, the two quarterbacks known for telling the teams with the first overall pick not to draft them both had father’s who knew the game of football, Elways father was a collegiate coach and Eli’s dad was a former NFL QB who knew himself all too well what being drafted by the wrong team can do to destroy a young quarterbacks career. Rosen never had a chance in Arizona or Miami, he was thrust into positions in which no young quarterback could succeed. This is why if an agent is smart and handling his client the right way he should take this into account when representing and advising his client. Long term, it’s far more important to be drafted into the right situation than it is to just get drafted as early as possible. Trey Lance is a great example of this in this season’s draft, if he’s selected by a team without a strong coaching staff that thrusts him into the lineup year one he is doomed to crash and burn spectacularly, however if he goes to the right team, even if it’s later in the draft, somewhere like New Orleans for example, a team with a strong quarterback coaching staff who will be patient with him and allow him to sit as the 3rd quarterback year one and the backup year two before being given the opportunity to win the starting job, then he has the physical talent if he’s coachable to have an excellent NFL career. Lance is the best example, but this pretty much goes for just about every rookie quarterback. I really hope Urban Meyer puts together a strong staff and invests in the offensive line in front of Trevor Lawrence. it would be a real shame if a player this gifted has his career ruined by getting drafted into a bad situation which Jacksonville unfortunately seems to traditionally be.