Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen just can't escape each other. The pair both grew up and attended high school in Southern California. They both starred for local schools in college, with Darnold attending the University of Southern California and Rosen the nearby University of California-Los Angeles. They were both top-10 picks in the 2018 NFL Draft, too, albeit by teams on the opposite ends of the country.
No longer. After the Arizona Cardinals traded Josh Rosen to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for the No. 62 overall pick in the 2019 draft and a fifth-round pick next year, he and Darnold, entrenched as the New York Jets' franchise quarterback, are now division rivals, set to face off at least twice a year.
The two faced off just once in college, a 28-23 Trojans victory over the Bruins on November 18th, 2017. Sam Darnold struggled despite his team's win, throwing for 264 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception while completing 17 of his 28 passes. Rosen was objectively better than his USC counterpart, going 32-of-52 for 421 yards, three scores and a pick.
It's Darnold, however, who showed more promise as a rookie. He threw for 2,865 yards, 17 touchdowns, and interceptions on a 57.7 percent completion rate during his NFL debut, positioning himself as the Jets' long-term starter despite those pedestrian numbers. Rosen, by contrast, failed to make the same impression on the Cardinals, with 2,278 yards passing yards, 11 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and completing 55.2 percent of his passes.
Time will tell if Darnold and Rosen live up to the potential they showed as collegiate rivals. Should that prove the case, though, the AFC East will be one of the most hotly contested divisions in football for years to come.
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