The Kyler Murray era begins, now what about that other guy?

NASHVILLE – “You know what, I’ll just keep ’em. I won’t sell those for that.”

Those words actually came out of my mouth about 13 years ago when I haggled over basically nothing at garage sale I had (shudders).

In relocating to a new house, my then-wife and I thought it was a good idea to pare down the things we’d no longer use or wear in our new abode. For me, there were several items that fit the bill.

What I was talking about in the above quote was a pair of Nike basketball shoes, several years old but gently used and in good shape. The price tag was five dollars. The cash-conscious browser offered two.

I held to my word. The shoes didn’t sell. I think I ended up donating them years later.

When the Arizona Cardinals drafted Kyler Murray with the number-one overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft Thursday night, the gently used and in-good-shape Josh Rosen became the human embodiment of those Nike basketball shoes.

Arizona general manager Steve Keim is me for the purposes of this comparison. The browsing bargain shopper is basically every other front office in the NFL.

Reports circulated late Thursday that the reason why Keim couldn’t unload his 2018 first-round selection and “quarterback of the future” is that he is asking for too much in return. Keim wants a first-round pick and nobody was willing to give that.

Heck, the New York Giants and Washington Redskins, both in need of a quarterback, opted to use draft picks on Daniel Jones (6th) and Dwayne Haskins (15th) on signal callers instead of trading for Rosen.

Yeah, they opted to buy new shoes instead of getting the used ones. And honestly, as much as I have faith that Rosen isn’t the quarterback we saw struggle all of last year, both organizations were right to shop elsewhere.

Why? Because the whole world knows the Cardinals no longer want Rosen. You can’t become the first franchise in 36 years to invest back-to-back first-round picks in quarterbacks and then continue to publicly say “we value Josh Rosen,” like Keim told ESPN’s Josina Anderson Thursday night. The endorsement rings hollow. Nobody’s going to fall for that verbal attempt to keep his stock high.

Keim spoke of depth at the quarterback position, but honestly, does that even really exist? Many teams don’t have a viable starter, let alone a backup that can generate the kind of trade return the Cardinals were seeking.

By keeping information about their intentions with the top pick very guarded, the Cardinals created a very small window to find a taker for Rosen, thus keeping the possibility of both first-round quarterbacks on the roster for an extended period. The Cardinals start OTAs in early May.

Can you say ‘awkward?’

I should’ve sold my shoes for two bucks instead of getting nothing before giving them away.

The Cardinals, who already in a way admitted they swung and missed on Rosen for their purposes, should’ve done the same on draft night.

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