It wasn’t too surprising when Kyler Murray declared for the 2019 NFL Draft. After all, he won the Heisman Trophy during a 54-touchdown season at Oklahoma. But he still had to do his best to convince the Arizona Cardinals (along with the rest of the NFL) he wanted to be a football player and nothing else.
Could Kyler Murray actually play in the NFL and MLB at the same time?
The Cardinals can’t do that much to stop Kyler Murray from playing baseball.
“I am firmly and fully committing my life and time to becoming an NFL quarterback,” Murray said in a February 2019 statement. “I very much look forward to dedicating 100 percent of myself to being the best QB possible and winning NFL championships.”
Evidently, that stance has softened.
The 22-year-old is uniquely positioned to attempt a career in both baseball and football. He’s the only person ever picked in the top 10 of both the MLB and NFL drafts.
In 2018, Murray batted .296 with 10 home runs and 47 RBI while playing centerfield for the Oklahoma Sooners. His coach at the time compared him to Phillies outfielder and five-time all-star Andrew McCutchen.
“At the plate, you would think a guy with his athleticism would have more aptitude to play defense than offense, but he’s the opposite; he’s more of an offensive player than a defensive player,” Oklahoma’s Skip Johnson told MLB.com. “He’s still in the process of maturing as an athlete. He’s dynamic, he’s physical. He reminds me of Andrew McCutchen.”
That potential won over the Oakland Athletics, who picked Murray ninth in the 2018 MLB Draft. Less than a year later, the Cardinals took Murray with the first pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He’s been a one-sport athlete since.
But his rekindled interest in the MLB can’t be news the Cardinals wanted to hear. Arizona committed itself to Murray — both with a four-year, $35.16 million contract and an entire offensive identity built around the young quarterback.
Not only would a baseball career bring a higher risk of injury, but it’d also divide his attention. Arizona would undoubtedly prefer Murray committed his time in the offseason toward being a better quarterback.
Still, there’s not a whole lot the Cardinals can do about it.
The Cardinals can’t completely stop Murray from playing baseball
In April 2018, the NFL and NFLPA disallowed “exclusive services clauses,” which would prevent a player from trying two sports. The Buccaneers wrote that type of clause into Jameis Winston’s contract in 2015. Arizona couldn’t do the same four years later.
What the Cardinals did was add a provision that allows them to void the guarantees on Murray’s deal if he participates in any “baseball-related activities.” Would that matter, though? Arizona’s on the hook for less than $9 million per year for a quarterback who has a chance at being named the Offensive Rookie of the Year soon. The Cardinals aren’t going to cut Murray, so who cares if his contract is guaranteed or not?
Where Arizona could really influence Murray’s decision is by fining him for missing meetings or practices. The MLB regular season begins near the end of March and wraps up near the end of September. The Cardinals could punish Murray if he’s absent for mandatory minicamp in June, or just about anything after training camp opens in July.
That’s made it difficult for anybody considering playing both sports. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has spent some time at the Yankees’ spring training the last couple years, but it’s been two decades since a player actually juggled regular season games as both an MLB and NFL player.
An MLB team employing Murray will likely get a grand total of three or four months out of the outfielder before he’s required to return to the gridiron. Would he be worth it?
The Oakland A’s still own Murray’s MLB rights
While the Athletics lost big on Murray, there doesn’t appear to be many hard feelings. Oakland’s executive vice president Billy Beane said in December that he still “loves that kid” and told the Mercury News he made a trade to acquire Murray on his fantasy football team.
If Murray ever does give baseball a shot, it’ll almost definitely be with the A’s. They still own his baseball rights via their top-10 draft pick in 2018.
And as for his limited availability, it’s not too bad. Even if he left the team when Cardinals training camp began, the A’s could still get about 80-90 games out of Murray.
Deion Sanders averaged 71.2 games per season in his nine MLB seasons during his NFL career. Bo Jackson spent considerably more time playing for the Kansas City Royals, but that’s because he didn’t report to the Los Angeles Raiders until after his baseball seasons ended.
Neither was a quarterback, however. Murray would need to play an even lighter MLB schedule to make it work. Still, Oakland would probably be happy with finding out if Murray is capable of helping them, even if that’s on a limited basis.
The Cardinals wouldn’t love that scenario, but it’d be one they wouldn’t have much power to stop, legally.
For now, they don’t have to worry about it.
Murray finished his rookie season with 20 passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns. Both he and the Cardinals’ offense improved as 2019 went on, capping the season with 89 points in their last three games. That was enough to convince 36-year-old receiver Larry Fitzgerald to not retire and instead come back for another season.
It’s good news for the Cardinals that Murray plans to seize on the momentum and stick to football. If that changes, though, a baseball career for Murray isn’t too unrealistic.
