Athletics outfield prospect and Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray announced today that he has formally declared for the NFL Draft. While this is a largely procedural move that was widely anticipated and does not preclude him from opting to continue as a professional baseball player, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Murray “has informed the Oakland A’s of his intention to follow his heart to the NFL” (Twitter link).
It’s not feasible for Murray to endure the rigors of playing quarterback in the NFL and then also playing baseball in the spring and summer; reports from the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser and Henry Schulman indicated last week that there was no scenario in which Murray would play both sports professionally. Schefter tweets today that Murray’s mind “has been made up,” though there is of course still time for a late change of heart.
The Athletics have reportedly been discussing signing Murray to a Major League contract and adding him to the 40-man roster as a means of swaying him away from a football career. While ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported last night that the league would not stand in the way of Murray signing a Major League deal so quickly despite the fact that the collective bargaining agreement ruled out MLB contracts for draftees back in 2012, Schefter’s reports today suggest that Murray isn’t all that likely to be swayed. He does technically still have a few weeks to decide, and the Athletics, it seems, can continue to negotiate with agent Scott Boras in the meantime.
As I noted last week when looking at the situation, if Murray is drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft, he stands to earn more than double the $4.66MM signing bonus that the Athletics gave him when selecting him with the ninth overall pick in last year’s MLB Draft. Last year’s No. 32 pick in the NFL Draft, Lamar Jackson, signed for nearly $9.5MM and will earn every bit of that sum; beyond that, he quickly ascended to a starter’s role in the NFL. On the flip side, even after signing a theoretical Major League deal, Murray would still need to spend at the very least one to two seasons developing in front of sparse minor league crowds before reaching the big leagues.
Should Murray pursue his career in football, Slusser and Schulman reported last week that the Athletics will not receive a compensatory pick in this June’s draft. Murray would have to return that $4.66MM bonus to Oakland, though he’d quite likely be setting himself up to earn substantially more money in the very near future.
So the A’s completely throw away the #9 pick.
No, he can change his mind yet, and if the NFL after 2 years isn’t his cup of tea, the Oakland A’s still hold his rights. There is still a chance he plays baseball at some point, this is just stating it won’t be any time soon.
1st round QBs have success more than wash out recently. Don’t see him being bad enough to flame out of the NFL
Is he really a 5’9″ first round QB? Will any NFL team actually give him more then the A’s to sign?
If he is 5’9″ tall he will not go in the first round.
He is for sure shorter than breeze, even shorter than Russell Wilson. Bout an Inch taller than Flutie
He’s actually an inch shorter then Flutie
Depends on who you believe. He says he’s 5’11”
Nobody believes he’s 5-11. Wish he could be photographed next to a big ruler so everyone can know his exact height.
That’ll happen at the combine.
He’s 5”9 and likely to be a top 10 pick maybe even top 3. Just read every NFL draft analysis on him.. It’s not hard to find this info. Yes, it’s unheard of a QB succeeding at that height, but this guy is clearly on another level than most athletes.
Not sure what you are reading as some scouts have him going in the 2nd or 3rd round…
Yup.. Flutie was 5 10..
What? literally everywhere I’ve seen has him as a top 15 pick minimum. Where are you seeing 3rd round? Here’s just one example of him going 6th overall google.com/amp/s/www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/…
According to the NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, NFL scouts he has talked to have Murray going slightly lower.
“Perhaps now Kyler Murray will get some opinions on where he goes,” Rapoport said. “Based on the scouts I’ve talked to, they project a second- or third-rounder, and complicating things is his height. He is very short, five-foot-nine, probably. And athletically, he’s unbelievable. Everyone saw the kind of job he did in helping him win the Heisman Trophy this year. But it’s been difficult for these guys I’ve talked to evaluate him because there just aren’t a lot of examples of a five-foot-nine quarterback trying to do what he does.”
Flutie was closer to 5’7” and Kyler is probably between 5’8″ and 5’9”.
He is taller than Flutie.
Pats would take him with a later first, they might even trade up to take him.
Even though they knew the risks and the MLB still tried to bail them out.
I’d definitely rather them lose the pick than get special treatment.
MLB baseball has never shown the A’s special treatment. They wanted him to choose baseball for their own marketing reasons.
I don’t understand why everyone keeps saying that MLB would “make an exception” and let Kyler Murray sign an MLB contract. As long as you have already signed a MiLB contract, you are eligible to be signed to an MLB contract; it just never happens. Kyler Murray has already signed a contract, so there isn’t any bending of the rules taking place.
glad someone else understands that any player signed to a minor league contract can be signed to a major league contract anytime after that
The A’s do get the money back..but do they retain his rights? Because once he gives the money back he is more longer under contract.. the same way any player who is drafted but does not sign is eligible to be drafted the following year.
Yeah, unless the A’s trade his rights, like the Rockies and Rangers did with Russell Wilson.
It was gamble. Just like every other pick.
Sure but you want your gamble to be on someone actually playing baseball
Like he was before this year? His outlook was a LOT different just one year ago.
Obviously no one could’ve predicted he’d take the College football world by storm and win the Heisman. A guy his height is unheard of playing QB in the NFL and then everyone got to see how truly special and remarkable he is and changed their minds. It’s just bad luck that it played out like it did for the A’s and does suck for them. But this dude is of the rarest breed and no one could envision his skills like they played out.
Will they not get the tenth pick this coming year for compensation?
Pretty sure they don’t. If they did than it wouldn’t matter at all.
JDGoat…from the article “Should Murray pursue his career in football, Slusser and Schulman reported last week that the Athletics will not receive a compensatory pick in this June’s draft..”
This has indeed been stated quite a few times over the last couple of days.
Hmm that’s odd. Seems like there isn’t much of a difference between this and having a high schooler spurn an offer for college ball.
Difference is that Murray signed a contract.
Because he signed his deal and didnt turn down an offer of at least 40% of slot value they do not get a replacement pick next year. The Rays just won a challenge where they proved they offered at least the minimum to keep the pick like last week.
Chapman that was the Braves winning the grievance.
blogs.fangraphs.com/so-what-happens-if-kyler-murra…
There is also this! A lot of legal ramifications where Oak could sue lots of people including Murray, NFL, Signing team. The NFL may discourage any team from drafting him high enough that he would want to take it. There is a serious optics problem for both MLB and the NFL if two competing teams go to war in court over this.
Oak probably has grounds to sue over this under tort law, but we dont know how good a case without seeing the contract.
I doubt it. They will let the kid follow his heart and play football. This is a unique situation and the adults will be grownups. This isn’t politics. I think he’ll go in the first round and have a nice career.
That would be horrible horrible press for the A’s. They’d get killed in the media and wouldn’t do that. It really is just a rare circumstance for an ultra rare and other worldly athlete. They’ll let him follow his heart, and have him pay back the $4 million signing bonus.
Murray threw away $4.6 million for a chance to have his brains turned into mush and to cripple his body in the NFL.
You do realize that he’ll earn much much more than that $4.6 million right? Yes he could get hurt, but clearly he’s a special talent. There’s actually probably a much greater chance he’s a bust in baseball. All the athletic skills in the world doesn’t guarantee anyone can hit MLB pitching.
No-brainer. If he falls in first round of NFL draft, he makes more guaranteed money, with instant gratification, due to much better odds of playing and contributing right away, instead of toiling away in the minor leagues for 4-5 years, with no guarantee of making it
No-brainer…until a few concussions make him a no-brainer
He plays QB, not a lineman!
Ken Stabler was a QB that ended up having CTE.
Different game back then.
What players have the most concussions? The NFL releases the numbers. That would be running backs and quarterbacks. Have you ever spent a day with a retired QB? They hobble around in pain and sometimes you have to ask them the same question 2-3 times. I would not wish that job on my worst enemy.
Yes, it was a different game back then. Guys were nowhere near as big or as fast as they are today. Stabler took 100 hits in a year once in his career. NFL average is over 150 for QBs today. QBs are taking much more punishment today from bigger, faster, stronger players.
What numbers are you looking at? Every study I’ve looked at puts QBs near the bottom and defense backs/receivers towards the top.
And no, I haven’t spent a day with a QB, what kind of clown question is that?
I read his posts also, hilarious stuff.
I ran card shows and signings for a decade in NYC. I spent huge amounts of time with former players. What is a clown comment is not realizing the pounding these guys take,
funny comment, but with the new rules, QB’s hardly ever hit the turf. Better helmets also serve to make it more likely QB’s get out without their brains turning to mush.
Helmets dont really help thats the whole problem. It isnt the impact against the skull its the sudden changing inertia where your head is moving then stops and your brain bounces off the inside of your skull.
the new helmets have been said to protect the head much better than ones that players used to use. a LOT of money has been put into this ever since the danger of the sport has been brought to light
now, i’ve never worn one of the helmets, but i’m going to trust the large amount of media sources that report the positive impact of them
They may help, and something is better then nothing, but just google football head trauma and read about the science, the helmet can only do so much when your moving full speed and your legs go out from under you, or your hit from the front by someone going full speed the other direction. Your brain is just floating in your head so if your head is moving and stops its problematic.
i do agree with that, but that scenario is much less common for QBs than other positions. they are very infrequently hit when running at full speed (or running at all).
and you could take a guy like Jared Goff, i don’t have the numbers, but i bet you he’ was legitimately tackled to the turf less than 50 times all season
Your rush which he does a lot your hit more then the avg thrower. I dont know much football but I would think he is a higher risk QB with his play style.
1st off, QBs take more hits today than ever before. The players hitting them are faster, bigger and stronger than ever before. Only RB have more concussions than QBs.
That’s fair, but I still think he would take significantly less hard contact than players at almost every other position because of new rules. Running backs, receivers, and defense backs are either delivering hits/blocks or are on the receiving end more often, and linemen, while not hit hard all the time, are enduring hard contact on literally every play.
Only RB have more concussions than QBs according to the NFL.
No they don’t because NFL rules don’t allow defensive players to hit a QB above the neck or in the knees without getting a 15 yard penalty and possible ejection. QBs are protected now more than ever.
@chapmansvacuum There you go with facts. Stop. These guys do not want to hear that. It interferes with their beliefs.
The NFL is required to publish players that have gone through the concussion protocol. Google it.
It doesn’t matter where you are hit. It is your bodies momentum stopping abruptly, but your brain continuing to move and crushing against the inside of your skull.
No matter where you are hit, that still happens. QBs are hit more than any other player other than RB.
i’d have to google search “alternative facts” to find what you’re talking about, dad
Athletes like that don’t spend 4-5 years in the minors. Especially college players.
Being a good NFL quarterback is no guarantee and sustaining a starting QB role is no guarantee, which is where the real money is. Sure, he could get a better signing bonus, but longevity as a good QB is a huge question with him. A’s took a risk signing him, but Murray is making a even bigger risk choosing the NFL.
Absolutely. According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, of the 18 QB taken from 2012-2017 in the 1st round, 9 are still playing. 6 are starters. 6 never completed their 4 year rookie contracts.
NFL contracts are not guaranteed. They are really 1 year deals with the team holding the cards for future years.
According to Sports Illustrated, most 1st round picks have 2 years of their rookie contracts guaranteed. 2nd round contracts are usually guaranteed for the first two years, although late in the round it appears only the first year is fully guaranteed.
Enjoy football fans. Just hope he doesn’t change his mind (again) and screw over your team (again)
Lol nobody forced the athletics to sign him
Feel like a lot of the fault lies on the A’s on this one, they should’ve known 100% he would play baseball.
They should have, but when the kid looks you in the eye and makes you commitment…
@oaklandfan22 he sign a contract agreeing to focus on baseball after a final season of college FB. The fault is 100% with him
The contract is for his baseball rights. It did not guarantee a focus on baseball over football.
These guys are more than likely getting this stuff from sorts talk radio.
And this is only happening because he won the hiessman and thinks he will make way more then he did 6 months ago going this route. If he thought this was an option then he probably asks for more then he got then turns down the best offer. Just because his situation changed doesnt mean he gets to ignore what he already did,
*sports talk radio
He’s listed at 5’10” actually 5′ 9″ no way he gets drafted at anything other than a receiver or running back. Either way with that height he’s not a 1st rounder.
the guy won the heisman, and is part of a fairly thin drafy for QB’s. Someone will draft him, and most likely in the first two rounds.
Brad Banks was a Heisman runner up @ 6’0″ and doubts about his height got him to fall out of the draft. Height means too much to these guys. Flutie was an 11th round pick as a Heisman winner because of his height.
Different game now. The NFL is turning into college football, and one of these teams are going to take a chance. He’s too good of an athlete not to. There are other ways to play QB in today’s NFL than just standing in the pocket. Sure some teams will never touch him, but it only takes one.
Too many old guys in the front offices of the teams that need QBs for him to be a 1st rounder. There still is a cloud about NFL stereotypes that permeate the league. Biggest steroetype still is that a QB has to be white and tall. Too many people will look at Murray as a receiver immediately for him to be a first rounder. WE have till April to find out. But he’s got so much to overcome to be a first rounder. Collegiate awards do’t mean a lot sometimes. Look at the NCAA defensive player of the year in 2015 he was drafted in the 7th round in the next draft.
Show me the money!
So with returning the Athletics signing bonus, he will likely get around $5M and it will be about the same time (roughly 4 years) before eligible for next contract or projected breaking into the majors. Also, from scouting reports, it seems he may have a higher baseball ceiling than football. So he will get about the same money over the next 4 years, but much higher potential to get injured and higher potential to be a bust. I wonder is there is something behind the scenes with sponsors that make the financial gap wider and better for the NFL route?
With all that being said, how can you tell a 21 year old kid to not follow his heart and dream?
It does seem weird on face value. Short term it looks like he’ll make more money playing football. But long term there’s no salary cap in baseball. I.e. Machado getting offered $250 million.
On a side note I’m told not to follow my dreams on a daily basis, but I’m 40 so…
I followed my dream……….until she called the cops.
I imagine there’s more marketing potential playing professionally 2-3 years earlier with the nfl than in the majors.
Still owes Boras his cut of the deal he signed with Oak since Boras’ job was done on that in July when he signed a contract opting out of playing more then a final semester of football.
Really hope he is doing this for leverage on the A’s. He supposedly wants 15M guaranteed.. Billy would be smart to just pay him. We’ll see in 72 hours if he is bluffing.
putting a guy out of college with no pro experience on the 40-man is a bad idea, especially for a playoff team like Oakland. He’ll end up wasting an option before he ever plays a pro game and would be wasting a spot a taem like Oakland badly needs.
playoff team? only once in a great while!
Would be smart to pay him? There’s no way I want to be paying an unproven athlete 15mil.
OAK holds all the cards on how much of a stink they want to make over this. I think they were willing to listen if there was something fairly reasonable to be worked out but thats about it. Either they will attack this in every way possible or they will let him leave. They could say your obligated to attend spring training not combines and put him on the restricted list while fining him so that if he goes un-drafted they can penalize him when he comes back, and if he is drafted they probably have legal options whether or not they want to take them.
Have to wonder if his height will worry NFL suitors. I know OU lists him at 5’11”. Other sites say 5’10”. I had MLB Network on the TV but was in another room. They were talking to an MLB player (I didn’t hear who) who was with him when he was taking batting/fielding practice etc. He said he is 5’8″ or shorter. To paraphrase him “I stood next to him, he isn’t 5’11”, he is 5’8″ or shorter without a doubt” That has to be a concern….Heisman or no Heisman.
That’ll all come to fact at the combine. Teams will do their due diligence on his height/weight. Could affect his draft stock, could not.
Worst career move for an QB that’s 5’9 and barely 200. If I’m the As I move on from him. Some team in the NFL will draft him late first. He’ll get hurt and get cut. Remember baseball has fully guaranteed contracts. While the NFL doesn’t. Also average MLB career is 12 to 18 years. NFL average is around 8 years. This kid would be in the MLB within 3 year’s. Instead he could be cut and out of all sports. If he gets hurt. Which he will. The NFL has adapted to the running QB already. While pure speed and baseball will last forever.
I am not an expert on NFL contracts, but I believe the vast majority of first-round rookie contracts are guaranteed. So he would likely make about double what he would if he went into the baseball. And sure, he might get hurt, but he also might never see the big leagues if agrees to play baseball. How many first round picks never make it to the big leagues or have very short MLB careers? The number is not insignificant.
Only the base salary is guaranteed. Agents have to negotiate how much of the signing bonus is guaranteed money. And the contracts contain lots of ways for teams to convert any remaining guaranteed dollars into regular dollars. It’s a four year deal, but the guaranteed amount could be as low as $1MM to $2MM base salary and a portion of the signing bonus.
Your numbers are so far off it’s comical.
What’s the average QB though? I feel it’s higher
Interesting. I wonder if this makes MLB move off their stance of ridiculously low pay for minor leaguers, which has to play into his decision.
You can’t pay 200 players 500K apiece.
The guy had 4.6M guaranteed. What more do you want?
It’s not fair, but they have no reason to increase their pay. It’d be up to the union to bargain to change that, and since the minor leaguers aren’t part of the union, they’re not going to take up that fight. This affects one player out of what, 4000-5000 minor leaguers? Let’s say each team paid 100k/year to each minor league player (that’d be over $15M each team)… Murray still walks at $100k.
it still is not right what mlb is doing with milb players. fans should pressure mlb to, at least, feed them like human-beings!
MLB has truly cut off its nose to spite its face with soft collusion, caps for amateurs, and the amount of time it takes to reach FA all coming to a head when a potential superstar turns them down.
a lot of players can be called “potential superstars” before they play a pro game. id bet good money he wont end up as good as guys like Trout and Harper have been.
So, does Scott Boras use this kid as an opportunity to start his NFL agent career?
This is horrible for baseball. A player like Murray could have brought a lot of popularity to the sport with his dynamic skills but now it seems the NFL will steal another talented player away. I want nothing more but to see MLB grow and attract younger fans. This is a shame. I’m hoping he has a change of heart.
That train has left the station for good.
If you want the game to become more attractive, then advocate for less home runs, less K’s, and more speed. Right now there are too many balls that aren’t in play.
And too many terrific athletes choosing to play Basketball and Football.
That’s because of the system of baseball. I don’t think raising MiLB pay to will change this, but it might be one item in a list.
MiLB pay raises, fewer minor league levels, fewer years before Rule 5 draft eligibility, fewer arbitration years, etc. $20MM+ guaranteed in NFL over next four years versus a $4MM signing bonus and wallowing in the minors at five or more levels plus short season leagues for 3-5 years? It’s easy to see why a player would pick the NFL.
I’M GOING TO TWEET HIM MY THOUGHTS! Surely I know more about which decision is better for his future than he does.
i was really hoping he’d play baseball. dude loves football too much, and kliff kingsbury publicly saying he would pick him #1 overall when his team has the #1 pick probably made this decision really easy.
Seeing as how Kingsbury isn’t in control of who gets drafted for the Cardinals, his assertion holds little water. Sure, he’ll have some say in the matter…like an opinion of who he’d like drafted, but the GM/FO/owner will have the final say. That said, Bill Bidwill is the type of owner that might just go for the “hype’ over reasonable evaluations.
The combine will be very enlightening as to Murray’s height/weight. Remember too, evaluators also put strong stock into hand size for QB’s. If he measures out at below what OU lists him, then he could fall in the draft and even be looked at as something other than a QB.
If he’s drafted and then told he’ll be used at another position, does he still love football as much?
0% chance he goes number 1 overall. He is probably a 3rd round QB. Plus Nick Bosa exists and the Cardinals drafted a QB last year, that is better than Murray.
Mr. Beane, Leave this guy alone. Let the NFL have him and go after any other prospect. This is a financial loss waiting to happen.
Good luck kid!
That four and a half large goes back into the Chapman arbitration fund.
As a reminder of what’s not been lost:
Jason White
Andre Ware
Chris Weinke
Robert Griffin III
Gino Torretta
Tim Tebow
Matt Leinart
Danny Wuerffel
Eric Crouch
Johnny Manziel
etc.
Odd to see someone opt into permanent brain damage when he could’ve been a major leaguer, but oh well. To each his own.
Pardon the pun but the A’s need to play hardball. You can’t give a guy-even an athletically gifted one-who hasn’t played all that much baseball, a major league contract. Leave your offer as is, wait for the draft, and see post-draft if he truly wants to play in the NFL. He may come back happy for that 5 mil. Don’t up the offer. Take the risk.
Well he won’t have to stand and respect our country in the feminized modern day NFL.
most unintelligent comment of them all!
yours sets a really high bar.
Complain at appropriate place, CNN comment section?
Just Kidding. CNN comments dont exist. Like transcript of this convo, most likely. — Politics and sports should never intertwine, you risk alienating users… This therein lies the problem lies, with Kaep and Goddell, who didnt deserve that extension for being such a spineless coward
Adopt the NBA national anthem policy.
*Please note: this post and replies will prob get deleted. Politics doesnt belong in sports. Reply at ur own risk.
His height is not the biggest red flag. He has a lot of deficiencies as a QB. He is Troy Smith.
Some of those sparse minor league crowds are more than the A’s draw on a regular basis.
Does that mean Boras has to return his comission?
How tall is russel Wilson?
Poor decision to take him in the top 10. Especially for a team like the A’s who rely, even heavier than most, on their scouting, drafting, and developing.
I wish they had taken Libratore with the first pick and Murray second since I think he would have fallen to them they could have probably squeezed the two in if they went lower on the third/fourth picks.
Liberatore is going to be an Ace. Did he end up with TB?
The American fetish for football is odd. If I had the choice between being a likely top tier MLB player and potentially have a 15 year career before retiring because I’m in my mid-30s with sore knees or tough out 10 years as an average football player before retiring with a much higher likelihood of brain trauma, I feel like I’d choose the former. Maybe I’m the weird one though…..
He might be looking at $15-20MM guaranteed money in the NFL. He might never get past double A minor league ball. It’s easy to see why he would take the NFL route.
NFL has instant money, where as it could be years before he ends up in MLB. Also, the advertising oppertunities in the NFL are far greater than the MLB look at Mike Trout and Bryce Harper. Most of my friends who aren’t baseball fans don’t know who these guys are but they know who Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, even Patrick Mahomes and other popular football players are.
To quote MacGruber: “The game has changed” – “But the players are the same!”
Let him go play football……and get crushed by someone like Myles Garrett, Von Miller, Dee Ford, etc.
Them big boys gonna put a hurting on the little guy.
you can be just walking down a street and get crushed chevy, gmc, caddy, ford or any cars speeding.
Good for him. It’s his wallet. It’s his brain. It’s his choice.
It’s his brain for now.hope it doesnt go to science after his long happy life. Ya know, for continued study on brain injuries. I hope the dude prospers. His life his choice.
Wanted $15 million to join the A’s and pass on the NFL draft with his whopping .261 collegiate batting average. He’s not messing around. He wants that thug money all these kids are getting in the NBA and NFL.
A’s may have dodged a bullet here. A gentlemen’s game is obviously not for him.
Crazy to me how many people on this site are trashing this kid, because why? He didn’t play baseball for a team you probably don’t even care about? Like Kyler Murray cares at all what you, MissouriInMisery thinks? He is the rare guy who gets to choose which professional sport he wants to play. Imagine having that choice, while you sit on your couch. Gentlemen’s game. Funny comment coming from some guy trolling on the internet.
I’m a troll because I’m disappointed the A’s had to waste the 9th pick in the draft on a guy that turned the situation into an outrageous hostage situation. Alright. No need to flex your huge muscles.
Yes, I would consider a sport not dominated by rap culture and “getting money” a gentlemens sport.
Are you a russian bot?
That’s not why you’re a troll, it’s just the most recent thing you’re trolling on about. You’re a troll because you’re a sad man.
….”thug money”…?
Using only batting average to evaluate offensive performance is crazy. Also, thug money? You just sound like a tired old trolling racist.
You’re running late for the Missouri state Klan rally.
Appears big gaffe here by the A’s. Stay away from Scott Boras clients. Almost anyone would take double the money. Boras will try to extort the A’s for additional $$$. Probably wiser to move on..get your money back & retain his rights at this point.
But what will I do with my impressive collection of Kyler Murray baseball cards? Russell Wilson burned me once and I vowed never to be burned again! KYLER!!!!’
As an Astros fan, can I be happy the A’s 1st round pick decided to follow his heart to another sport?
Russell Wilson baseball cards may be worth a lot someday
There’s always Russell Wilson. 🙂