The Athletics won’t close door on Kyler Murray. But is MLB really an option for free-agent QB?
Add the first professional team that drafted Kyler Murray to the list of franchises that might be interested in the services of the soon-to-be NFL free agent quarterback.
That would be baseball’s Athletics, who selected Murray with the No. 9 pick in the 2018 MLB draft and inked the five-tool University of Oklahoma outfielder to a contract that included a $4.66 million bonus.
A’s general manager David Forst told MLB.com on Wednesday that the team has never closed the door on a possible reunion with Murray despite his February 2019 decision to forgo professional baseball and enter that year’s NFL draft, in which the Arizona Cardinals made him the No. 1 pick.
That NFL marriage came to an end on Tuesday when Arizona announced it planned to release Murray next Wednesday on the first day of the league year.
Although left at the altar in 2019, the A’s have never completely forgotten about what might have been, Forst said. “Kyler is an elite NFL quarterback, and I’m sure there are plenty of opportunities for him to continue his football career,” he told MLB.com. “That said, he and his baseball representatives know that we’re always open to him exploring a return to baseball with the A’s if that time ever comes.”
In his final baseball season at Oklahoma, Murray hit .296 with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs in 51 games for the Sooners. In his final football season in Norman, he became the seventh Sooner to win the Heisman Trophy.
Murray once considered playing both sports. Ahead of the 2018 Heisman ceremony, Murray told reporters, “I would love to play (both professionally). I’ve always been a guy of many options, and I’m trying to keep them open as long as possible. If that was possible, I would definitely be open to it.”
Ultimately, Murray chose to focus exclusively on football. He returned most of the bonus money he received from the A’s and was placed on MLB’s restricted list, with the Athletics retaining exclusive rights to his baseball services.
Murray is 28 now, and there have been no indications that he is considering a return to baseball. The Vikings, Dolphins, Jets and Falcons are among the NFL teams expected to reach out to gauge his interest in playing quarterback for them.
But just in case he still wants to scratch that baseball itch, Forst made it clear that the A’s would be happy to talk with the player that former team executive vice president and “Moneyball” legend Billy Beane called “one of the most dynamic athletes that we’ve selected since I’ve been here.”
