The Oakland Athletics own Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray‘s baseball rights after selecting him in the first round of the 2018 MLB draft, but they expect him to declare for the NFL draft this weekend, according to Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle.
Simply declaring for the NFL draft doesn’t necessarily mean Murray will decide not to play for the Athletics, although one source does tell Slusser that Murray is reportedly leaning towards football. If Murray does opt to play football, he’d be required to pay back the A’s more than $4.5MM. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) NFL decision-makers believe Murray is “magic” and predict he’d come off the board on Day 1 or 2 of the draft, so he’d be able to make up that lost money in short order.
Murray and his agent Scott Boras have never officially ruled out the NFL despite persistently denying interest in deviating from an MLB-based plan. The Athletics would retain Murray’s baseball rights, but playing both baseball and football is not an option for Murray, per Slusser. The time commitments afforded to modern day professional sports simply make a dual-sport athlete nearly impossible.
Murray will likely need to make a decision by the end of February, as Slusser reports. He’ll be expected to attend Spring Training at that point, while the impending NFL Draft Combine would also require his attention, meaning the Heisman winner’s hand will likely be forced.
Worst decision ever. He’ll be out of the league in a few years. He’s 5’9 and barely 200 pounds.
5’11. Same height as Brees
their are not many successful short qbs in the league not in NFL history compared to taller qbs . he will have a up hill battle as his height and the fact the NFL changes head coaches lie every 3 years means he will need to have a off fit quick to have a chance
like*
Said the same exact crap about the last QB to come out of Oklahoma….how’d that work out for you?
Not comparable. Mayfield is 6’1″. Murray is “listed” at 5’10” by Oklahoma but we’ll really see how tall he is at the combine. Plus Mayfield has twenty pounds on the guy.
Nobody says Murray doesn’t have talent. But he’s short AND slight in frame. Not good for a long NFL career.
Lol….mayfield is not 6’1….no matter which conscience store he is walking into. This coming from someone who has met him and stood next to him numerous times. He isn’t 6 feet. 5’11. If you think 2 inches is going to make a difference between the 2….ok….I’ll take that bet.
Convience store
Quit comparing him to Brees. Besides being under 6 foot they have nothing in common. Completely different QBs. That’s like saying every white WR is Cole Beasley.
“C’mon Man”
Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, Fran Tarkenton, Doug Flutie all 6’0 or shorter and lacking the “prototypical QB height” not to mention people were saying Mayfield was too short. Anyone that doubts this kid can make it didn’t watch too many of his games this season, can extend plays and has an arm. Mark my words he’s gonna be a Wilson type talent.
the thing is your list is short . he has a short but the numbers are not in his favor . the . tall qbs has the most successful in the NFL and short qbs that are successful are far and in between. he has to get in to the right system for him fast but most the time qbs do not get into the right fit off the bat
These were names off the top of my head, the point I was trying to make was height doesn’t dictate success if you have the talent you’ll be on the field no matter how short or tall. Kyler Murray definitely has the talent to be a NFL Qb.
But does he want his brain to keep working past 45 is the real question
Valid
The only qb’s in the nfl 5’11or under are brees, or Wilson. Tarkenten was 6’0, amd flutie couldn’t stay healthy, only made 1 pro bowl. So you’ve got 3 guys in nfl history that have done it at that height. It’s pretty much hall of famer or bust at that height at the position. Not impossible, but that’s realistically the battles he faces.
Baker Mayfield is a GENEROUS 6′ tall. Dude was about the same height as me when I shook his hand and I’m 5’10.” Some sites list him as 6’1″ tall which is hilarious to me. People need to realize the NFL pads EVERYONE’s height by a good inch or so. Also…. I don’t get why people think 1-2 inches makes or breaks a QBs ability to be a good QB. These are the same dudes likely obsessed over their small penis size as if an extra half inch or inch will make all the difference, haha.
This argument is dumb IMO. Why? Because I can probably list about 100 QBs 6’2″ or taller who were major busts. Can’t do that with 6′ and under dudes. Now you’re going to say “well that’s because there’s not as many 6′ and under QBs”….. and I’ll say…. thanks for agreeing with me this is a dumb argument. Football coaches are idiots. They prefer taller QBs therefore don’t ALLOW shorter dudes to be QBs. If you’re 6′ and under AND can throw, they’ll still likely force you to become either a WR or DB regardless of your throwing ability. Julian Edelman anyone? As a result we’re limited in viewing “shorter” QBs. But also as a result… the success rate of those guys panning out are MUCH higher than their taller counterparts. If height dictated success then Brock Osweiler should be the best QB in the game. Isn’t that dude pushing 7 feet tall, haha. Or how about Jamarcus Russell who was 6’6″ tall. How well did he do? Geno Smith, 6’3.” EJ MAnuel 6’5.” Joey Harrington 6’4.”Brady Quinn 6’3.” Matt Leinhart 6’5.” Vince Young 6’5.” Mark Sanchez 6’2.” Josh Freeman 6’6.” Sam Bradford 6’4.” Tim Tebow 6’3.” Jake Locker 6’3.” Blaine Gabbert 6’4.” Christian Ponder 6’2.” Brandon Weeden 6’3.” Blake Bortles 6’5.” Teddy Bridgewater 6’3.” Paxton Lynch 6’7.”
And those are just first round or early second round QB picks from the last several years that I can think of who were major busts. So yeah, for every “short” QB who doesn’t pan out I can probably name about a dozen “tall” QBs who fail to live up to expectations. It’s a dumb argument.
Sooooo he’s the same size as Russell Wilson then. haha
Can we please drop the height discussion from how we rate QBs? Its completely overstated and outdated. If you want to argue frame (i.e. not having enough weight) I’ll gladly give you that, but making the argument that a guy can’t make it as QB because he’s between 5’9 and 5’11 is a terrible argument. There are plenty of prototypical-size QBs that completely bust out of the league because they’re actually terrible but are placed extremely high in people’s opinions just because they’re tall. If you want to use size to be a tiebreaker between two prospects go right ahead, but to completely disregard a player just because he doesn’t perfectly fit the mold of what you might want from a QB is outdated.
Not to mention the injury situation. Kid gets himself hurt playing football – not enough to end contract but enough to affect baseball performance. Who’s paying his guaranteed salary then? The seasons are too long. The body needs R&R. Terrible idea.
Murray is too small to play QB in the NFL anyway. The Russell Wilson comparisons are ludicrous. Wilson was measured 5’11 at the combine and doesn’t look small next to NFL players. Murray looked tiny out on the field in the Alabama playoff game. Just tiny. And Murray was run off the field by the NFL size Alabama defense. Murray’s high school prospect measurements were 5’9 and I’d bet a $100, he’s still closer to 5’9 than 5’10.
Drew Brees is perhaps a better comparison in terms of build but Brees is a full 6′. I’ve seen Brees, Wilson and Mayfield struggle this season when faced with really tall linemen. How a guy two to three inches shorter would succeed is a mystery to me. And that’s apart from the beating. Murray is an undersized RGIII. And just look out how RGIII fared in the NFL.
No thanks to tiny, nimble quarterbacks. Murray could might make a long NFL career as a third down receiver. After two years as a starting QB he’ll be too banged up to ever play baseball at an all star level. Worst idea ever.
Barry Sanders never got touched & he was listed at 5”9 but was probably 5”7 because I met him & I was taller at 5”8!
Running back vs QB. Barry never had to throw the ball over 6’5 lineman either.
he needs a good off fit to be successful. oe that allows him to play to his strengths and rolls him out of the pocket at times . he has a chance but it won’t be easy
That’s hardly an issue though. Drew Brees does it fine. Russell Wilson does it fine. The common argument with smaller QBs is that their bodies/frames won’t be able to hold up against grown men hitting them.
He was a running back not a quarterback
For longevity purposes, baseball is a better bet
And guarenteed contracts
Yeah but if he’s a first rounder he’s getting more money immediately, and if managed right it’s still enough to set him up for life, and whatever he made for work after would just be to improve his lifestyle.
Quality of life might be something worse considering.
Please do both..
Think Russ did it better by giving baseball a shot first but to each their own
Russ was bad at baseball tho..
Terrible at baseball
Wilson? I don’t think he played baseball long enough for anyone to know, but definitely made the right choice. Didn’t he reach AA?
See how he feels about it the closer it gets to Spring Training.
Force him to make a decision by Feb 1. The A’s need to move on ASAP, they have enough to worry about. Tebow 2.0.
Who said he won’t play for the A’s as well as in the NFL?
The article, and many similar ones explain it all to …YOU.
Pretty sure both him and his agent said it’s not really an option
Oh yea.. they need to know by FEB 1st if he will be in Low A or High A this year. Sigh
Even if he wants to, I doubt the A’s or whichever team drafts him would let him. Any football team drafting him isn’t going to let their hopeful franchise QB go play another sport for half the year and then have Murray rejoin the team in the middle of the season. And the A’s aren’t going to have him play half the season so he can join his NFL team for training camp.
I wasn’t even born when Bo, Deion, and Brian Jordan were at their peaks. So for that reason alone, I’d love to see Kyler or someone else do two sports at once, but I’d be surprised if it ever happened again.
Dang, you’re a youngster.
Tell me about it! I’ll only be 21 in two months.
Michael Jordan……
concussion 1st hit. I’m just hating on the guy.
If I was an NFL GM, I wouldn’t want him. What are you gonna do when he changes his mind again?
that could be a huge issue he already faces a uphill battle in the NFL due to his height . playing both sports would compound the issue do he has to decide and fully commit to one.or the other . if NFL doesn’t work out he could go back to baseball
Why does he have to commit to one or the other? It’s his life he can do whatever he pleases.
Agreed, but no team is going to be eager to pay him or give him a spot if they don’t think he’s committed to their team. No NFL team is going to draft him (at least with a high pick) if they think he’ll stick in baseball as its a waste of a pick. And the A’s (or any other baseball team) won’t like if Murray is spending his offseason playing football instead of working on developing his baseball skills.
Got to go with what you feel is best for your situation. It’s not always about the money or what is the safer bet. If he’s got more passion for football then he should play football.
If he had any doubt in his mind at all he shouldn’t have agreed to take damn near $5 million to play baseball
I wonder if the A’s get draft compensation if he does choose football. MLB teams usually get a n extra 1st rounder the next year if a 1st round pick doesn’t sign. Murray forfeiting his bonus would essentially be the same result as him not signing. I’m sure the A’s would make that case if he does indeed choose football
I don’t believe they do.
He did sign so the A’s get nothing if he walks
The A’s probably won’t get anything from the MLB, but I’m sure they’d file some sort of suit against Murray and/or the NFL if Murray bolts for the NFL.
I think he will get drafted but will still report to spring training and play baseball until training camp, and at that point he will make his decision
Gonna be tough combine is until March 4 and that takes full time prep, then you’ve got pro day after and then private workouts I don’t see that possible.
If he goes through with the draft and sticks with football would he have to give back the signing bonus the A’s have him?
If he gets drafted and chooses to go with football do the A’s get any type of compensation?
Only the signing bonus he took when he agreed to play baseball instead of football
Another Heisman winner that won’t live up to the hype. Betting his NFL career is shorter than that of Mark Sanchez.
oddly enough, mark sanchez is still in the league.
Why can’t he give football a try for a few years? If he becomes a backup QB and isn’t satisfied, he can go back to baseball .. it’s happened before .. Tim Tebow didn’t even play baseball in college, played a few years in football and went back and now, sadly for my NYM, has moved up relatively quickly to the point where they’re actually talking about bringing him up .. Murray was a 1st rd pick in baseball, so I’m going to assume he has immeasurably more baseball talent than Tebow
Well, for one, he already signed a contract with the A’s. Sure he could try to play football, but the A’s will argue that he signed a contract and that they “own” his professional rights. At the very least, he’d had to give back the signing bonus money he got from the A’s if he wanted to play football. But if he does as you suggested (becomes a backup QB and leaves for the MLB) a lot of people will say that he is running at the first sign of adversity and can’t be trusted to stay committed to a team (fair or not).
Also, lets be honest, Tebow is basically an attraction at this point to sell tickets and generate headlines. Tebow has been ok for a minor league player, but he’s also a couple of years older than most of the people he is playing with. The age factor would be the same for Murray and Murray would need to tear the cover off the ball at that point to have any hope of a professional baseball career.
Tebow hasn’t even been ok for a minor league player. Strikes out 37% of his at bats in AA as a 31 year old which is 7-8 years older than the average player.
He’s a sideshow that most professional clubs didn’t want anything to do with because he’d be stealing development time from a player with a real chance at possibly contributing at a major league level.
Shorter Qbs are becoming more common now days and they are starting to be alot more successful then they used to be, you also see less taller qbs coming out and being successful because they lack mobility to avoid the faster defenses we have now,thats why shorter qbs are gaining advantages and are preparing better to be successful so they can play longer..Offenses have changed,so have the game plans,game plans are now made around the style of qb.
My only concern with kyler Murray is his committment to which sport, you need to commit to one or the other..He isnt Bo Jackson,and even he got hurt playing two sports