Football or baseball?
That is the question Kyler Murray faces.
The two-sport star is fresh off a Heisman Trophy campaign with the Oklahoma Sooners that raised his stock with NFL franchises. Murray also signed a minor-league contract with the Athletics after Oakland took him with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Amateur Draft that included a $4.66 million signing bonus, and an agreement that allowed the 21-year-old to return to Norman for his junior season on the gridiron with the Sooners. Until recently, it was expected Murray would report to Arizona this spring to begin his baseball career.
But Murray’s stock never has been higher, and a career in the NFL certainly is a possibility, with some projecting the quarterback as a first-round pick, and possibly a replacement for Tom Brady for the New England Patriots. The A’s last week said they expected Murray to declare for the NFL Draft by Monday’s deadline.
But that won’t happen without a final push from the Athletics to keep the Bedford, Texas, native in baseball.
According to multiple reports, The A’s met with Murray in Dallas on Sunday.
MLB also got involved in the talks.
And it appears Murray is going to milk the situation for all it is worth, and ask for a major raise, according to WFAA’s Mike Leslie.
But it seems MLB is equally prepared to consider all options to keep Murray in baseball, a sport that is increasingly desperate to grow star players. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported the league will consider allowing Murray to sign a major-league deal, which would allow the A’s to exceed the cap that is put on recently-drafted players.
It is, to say the least, a complicated situation. But’s an equally rare occurrence that an athlete be this sought-after by two different sports. Either way, it seems Murray is about to run into a bunch of money whether he opts for a career in baseball or football.
