KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Former NFL star quarterback Dan Marino on the Kansas City Royals? Yes, that was a thing, kind of.

Marino was drafted by the Royals in the fourth round of the 1979 MLB Draft out of Central Catholic High School as a pitcher and shortstop.

Advertisement

He ultimately decided to play football instead, which, clearly, ended up being the right choice.

End Zone Extra: Get the top Chiefs news and insider features all season long

He never played a game for the Royals organization, as he went to the University of Pittsburgh to play quarterback before having a Hall of Fame NFL career with the Miami Dolphins.

That didn’t stop Topps from releasing a one-of-one autographed Dan Marino Royals baseball card as part of the 2025 Bowman Draft’s “What If” series, where they release cards based on if former NFL superstars would’ve chosen baseball instead of football.

Advertisement

Kansas City Royals making wall shorter, closer through most of outfield

Tom Brady and John Elway were featured in the series the last two years, with Brady having a Montreal Expos card and Elway with the New York Yankees.

Topps released an ad for Marino’s special edition card on social media. To see that, you can click here.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.