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Before Kyler Murray became a starting quarterback in the NFL, there were serious questions about whether he’d even play football at all.
Murray was a standout baseball player at Oklahoma and was on track for a professional baseball career before breaking out as the 2018 Heisman Trophy winner. In the span of a year, he was a first-round pick in two different sports and faced a legitimate choice between the two leagues.
Murray chose football, but it’s still possible he could return to baseball at some point. Here’s a look at his baseball career.
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Did Kyler Murray play baseball?
Kyler Murray was a dual-threat player while attending Oklahoma, playing both football and baseball in his college career. While Murray was a backup quarterback initially upon transferring to Oklahoma, he more immediately found playing time on the baseball team.
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Kyler Murray baseball careerWhat position did Kyler Murray play?
Kyler Murray was an outfielder in college, spending the majority of his time in center field but also moving around to both corner spots.
Kyler Murray baseball statsYearTeamLeagueGamesHitsRunsHRsRBIsSBBAOPBOPS2017OklahomaNCAA276160612.122.317.4402017HarwichCape Cod1684154.170.273.5492018OklahomaNCAA515646104710.296.398.954
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The Athletics drafted Kyler Murray with the ninth overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft, immediately following his breakout season for Oklahoma baseball. However, the A’s let Murray play football in the fall, which resulted in the quarterback winning the Heisman Trophy that season.
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Do the A’s still own Kyler Murray’s rights?
Although Murray hasn’t played for the Athletics since the organization drafted him in 2018, the A’s still own Murray’s MLB rights. Therefore, if Murray every wants to make the switch to baseball, he would be doing so for the Athletics unless the team decides to trade or denounce his rights.
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Kyler Murray baseball contract
Murray’s initial contract with the Athletics included a $4.6 million signing bonus. However, by opting to play football instead, Murray reportedly repaid a portion of that singing bonus back to the Athletics.
Can confirm Kyler Murray’s contract with #Athletics includes a provision whereby he’d forgo/repay a very large portion of his signing bonus if he opts to play in the NFL. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 12, 2018
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Why did Kyler Murray choose football over baseball?
Murray entered the 2019 NFL draft on February 11, 2019, and he made it clear that football was his passion.
“Football has been my love and passion my entire life,” Murray said. “I was raised to play QB, and I very much look forward to dedicating 100% of myself to being the best QB possible and winning NFL championships.”
— Kyler Murray (@K1) February 11, 2019
Murray likely got an inkling that the Arizona Cardinals would draft him first overall, allowing him a chance to start immediately and giving a four-year, $35.7 million rookie contract out of the gate. Then, Murray signed a five-year, $230 million extension with Arizona in 2022.
Had Murray stayed with baseball, it would’ve taken longer for him to make his way through the Athletics organization, before having a chance to earn hundreds of millions of dollars. Ultimately, the path Murray chose gave him more immediate money and success.
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Kyler Murray was born on August 7, 1997, so he will be 29 years old when the 2026 NFL season begins. As Murray has spent most of his 20s in the NFL, it would be pretty unprecedented for him to make the switch back to baseball at this point.
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Last time Kyler Murray played baseball
Murray last played baseball for Oklahoma in the Spring of 2018, when he played in 51 games for the Sooners. That season, Murray had by far his best performance in collegiate baseball, totaling 10 home runs, 10 stolen bases and a .954 OPS.
About this time last night, Kyler Murray’s name was called in the #MLBDraft.
The 11th first round pick in OU history made his presence felt in 2018 ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/uM08ZguEbR
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) June 6, 2018
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Will Kyler Murray play baseball again?
Murray has completely focused on football since 2019, so it is unlikely he could successfully switch sports at this point. Besides the fact that Murray hasn’t played baseball competitively since 2018, he needed time and development when he entered the MLB draft, and his skills have probably waned as he went away from the sport.
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NFL players to switch to baseball
Many football and baseball players were dual-threat athletes before choosing one path, but some tried to play both.
The most famous dual-threat players are Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson, as both reached the pros in MLB and the NFL. Brian Jordan also played both sports professionally, starting in football before moving to baseball.
Recently, Tim Tebow gave baseball a shot after his football career but flamed out with the New York Mets’ Double-A team. Jeff Samardzija was a wide receiver at Notre Dame but chose baseball, carving out a successful major league career as a pitcher.
Like Kyler Murray, Russell Wilson was drafted in baseball but dropped the sport to focus on the NFL. Jameis Winston was also a two-sport athlete in college but chose football as a No. 1 overall NFL draft pick.
Other notable two-sport athletes include Tom Brady, John Elway, Todd Helton, Frank Thomas, Kirk Gibson, Ricky Williams, and John Lynch.