First-round draft pick. Inconsistency. Those were the two labels that seemed to follow Josh Rosen. Back in 2018, he was known for starting games too slowly and throwing passes too high and out of reach. And no matter how hard he tried, it always seemed like too little, too late. That became the theme that defined his NFL career overall. But fast forward to 2026, and the former quarterback has proven that a massive football failure does not have to ruin a career.

After crashing out of the league following bold plans to surpass Tom Brady’s Super Bowl record, the forgotten Arizona Cardinals player ended his professional football career after a final stint with the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad in 2022. Instead of hustling on the field, he decided to pursue an MBA at the Wharton School of Business. And now, he’s working as an investment banker at J.P. Morgan, as per reports from ML Football on X.

UCLA’s star quarterback threw for 9,340 passing yards and made 59 touchdowns over three collegiate seasons. He was the one people nicknamed the ‘Chosen One.’ Argued to be the most NFL-ready draft prospect, the Cardinals got him in the first round (10th overall) in the 2018 Draft. He spent his rookie season with 2,278 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. 

The following year, he stayed with the Miami Dolphins, but he wasn’t able to climb the depth chart. In the later years, he signed with the Buccaneers, 49ers, Falcons, Browns, and Vikings as a practice squad member. 

With that failed stint in the league, Rosen’s plan to surpass Tom Brady also fell apart. With high hopes during the 2018 pre-draft period, the QB was beaming with confidence. During a conversation with Sam Alipour, which would later appear in ESPN The Magazine, he declared that he wanted to be great at everything he did. Josh Rosen looked up to Kellen Moore as the winningest quarterback of all time. He wanted to be just like him.

“I thought that was a cool word: winningest. So I want to be the winningest QB in NFL history,” Rosen told Alipour. “I want to win the most games and most championships. I’d say six titles, but if Tom Brady gets six, I’ll say seven.

“I’m the best QB in the draft. A lot of guys are flashier, but I think I’m the most efficient, monotonously consistent QB in this draft. Rodgers has some flair, but if you watch Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, there’s nothing that’s explosive or Johnny Manziel-like. It’s just quarterbacking.” 

He also revealed that even though his family wasn’t super rich, he wouldn’t have to work at McDonald’s if the NFL gig didn’t work out. He was in the game just because of his passion. For money, Rosen had other plans. And it seems like the backup worked pretty well. 

Josh Rosen found success without having to beat Tom Brady

Mike Vilardo, the CEO of Subject and a former baseball player at the University of Pennsylvania Athletics and UCLA, was pretty impressed by Rosen’s MBA. According to him, the 29-year-old made the best decision by coming out of the league and focusing on expanding his knowledge. And the MBA, which likely got him the job at J.P. Morgan, is helping him earn way more than he’d have received at the NFL. 

“I bet you, he’s gonna make more than 90, probably 95% plus of NFL players,” Vilardo said. “He is gonna make at least several million dollars a year once he gets up to managing director at his J.P. Morgan job. Incredible job. Showing the power of education. It didn’t work out in the NFL. He went back and got a great MBA. And now he’s gonna make so much money. I love this.” 

While NFL fans love to consistently label him as one of the biggest draft busts of the modern era, Rosen is currently having the last laugh. Instead of dwelling on his shattered football dreams, he utilized his elite intellect to conquer an entirely different, highly competitive arena. He successfully traded the playbook for the financial portfolio, and Wall Street is officially his new gridiron.