Could Kyler Murray come back to baseball after being cut by Cardinals? What A’s GM said about his MLB future

Quarterback Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals have parted ways in the NFL and that means we can’t help but return to the baseball talk. It doesn’t sound like Murray has any intentions of leaving the NFL — there are plenty of rumors with other NFL teams, notably the Vikings — but there is another option. Remember, in 2019, the then-Oakland Athletics drafted Murray in the first round. 

Murray was such a talented baseball player at the University of Oklahoma that a team drafted him ninth overall when he was already the Heisman Trophy winner in football. Once he chose football, Murray was placed on the restricted list and was unable to retain the majority of his signing bonus, but the A’s retained his rights. They still do, in fact, should he decide to give baseball another go.   

“Kyler is an elite NFL quarterback and I’m sure there are plenty of opportunities for him to continue his football career,” A’s general manager David Forst 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.”

The last time Murray played competitive baseball was the 2018 season for the Sooners. In 51 games, he hit .296/.398/.556 with 13 doubles, three triples, 10 home runs, 47 RBI, 46 runs and 10 stolen bases. 

After having been away from the sport for eight years, it would be fair to question if Murray could come close to first-round level performance these days. There are a few things to keep in mind, though. First off, he’s obviously remained in shape. This isn’t like someone took a desk job and then tried to hop back into sports eight years later. He’s been an NFL quarterback and, at times, a very successful one. Secondly, an athlete with enough talent to be taken first overall in one sport and ninth overall in another is a freak of nature and shouldn’t be counted out at age 28, even if he’d have some rust to knock off. 

Regardless, the expectation here is this all ends up a moot point once Murray lands another NFL QB job. But the A’s can dream.