{"id":794497,"date":"2026-03-05T20:08:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T20:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/794497\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T20:08:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T20:08:26","slug":"kyler-murray-was-a-top-10-mlb-pick-could-nfl-free-agent-try-baseball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/794497\/","title":{"rendered":"Kyler Murray was a top-10 MLB pick. Could NFL free agent try baseball?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kyler Murray<\/a>‘s time with the Arizona Cardinals<\/a> is coming to an end after seven seasons. The 28-year-old will be released<\/a> at the start of the NFL league year, which will make him a free agent for the first time of his career.<\/p>\n

Murray is expected to plenty of draw interest on the open market. He will likely sign a veteran minimum contract, as any salary he makes will merely offset the $36.8 million in guarantees Arizona owes him for the 2026 NFL season.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

That said, on the off-chance Murray wants a complete change of pace, an opportunity exists for him to play baseball.<\/p>\n

1 \/ 32<\/p>\n

NFL mock draft: First-round projection after Trent McDuffie trade<\/p>\n

1. Las Vegas Raiders \u2013 Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana<\/p>\n

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1. Las Vegas Raiders \u2013 Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana<\/p>\n

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection after Trent McDuffie trade<\/p>\n

2. New York Jets \u2013 OLB\/DE David Bailey, Texas Tech<\/p>\n

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3. Arizona Cardinals \u2013 OLB\/DE Arvell Reese, Ohio State<\/p>\n

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NFL mock draft: First-round projection after Trent McDuffie trade<\/p>\n

4. Tennessee Titans \u2013 RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame<\/p>\n

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5. New York Giants \u2013 LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State<\/p>\n

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6. Cleveland Browns \u2013 OL Francis Mauigoa, Miami (Fla.)<\/p>\n

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7. Washington Commanders \u2013 S Caleb Downs, Ohio State<\/p>\n

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8. New Orleans Saints \u2013 WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State<\/p>\n

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9. Kansas City Chiefs \u2013 CB Mansoor Delane, LSU<\/p>\n

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10. Cincinnati Bengals \u2013 DE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami (Fla.)<\/p>\n

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11. Miami Dolphins \u2013 OT Spencer Fano, Utah<\/p>\n

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12. Dallas Cowboys \u2013 CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee<\/p>\n

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13. Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta Falcons) \u2013 WR Denzel Boston, Washington<\/p>\n

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14. Baltimore Ravens \u2013 DL Caleb Banks, Florida<\/p>\n

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15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers \u2013 TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon<\/p>\n

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16. New York Jets (from Indianapolis Colts) \u2013 WR Makai Lemon, USC<\/p>\n

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17. Detroit Lions \u2013 OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia<\/p>\n

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18. Minnesota Vikings \u2013 S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon<\/p>\n

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19. Carolina Panthers \u2013 DT Peter Woods, Clemson<\/p>\n

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20. Dallas Cowboys (from Green Bay Packers) \u2013 OLB\/DE T.J. Parker, Clemson<\/p>\n

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21. Pittsburgh Steelers \u2013 WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State<\/p>\n

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22. Los Angeles Chargers \u2013 G Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State<\/p>\n

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23. Philadelphia Eagles \u2013 DE\/OLB Akheem Mesidor, Miami (Fla.)<\/p>\n

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24. Cleveland Browns (from Jacksonville Jaguars) \u2013 WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana<\/p>\n

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25. Chicago Bears \u2013 S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo<\/p>\n

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26. Buffalo Bills \u2013 WR Malachi Fields, Notre Dame<\/p>\n

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27. San Francisco 49ers \u2013 Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah<\/p>\n

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28. Houston Texans \u2013 Blake Miller, OT, Clemson<\/p>\n

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29. Kansas City Chiefs (from Los Angeles Rams) \u2013 Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State<\/p>\n

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30 \/ 32<\/p>\n

NFL mock draft: First-round projection after Trent McDuffie trade<\/p>\n

30. Denver Broncos \u2013 WR KC Concepcion, Texas A&M<\/p>\n

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31. New England Patriots \u2013 DE Keldric Faulk, Auburn<\/p>\n

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32. Seattle Seahawks \u2013 RB Jadarian Price, Notre Dame<\/p>\n

Before being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Murray was the ninth overall selection in the 2018 MLB Draft by the then-Oakland Athletics.<\/p>\n

The Athletics still retain Murray’s baseball rights and general manager David Forst told MLB.com the door is “always open” for the veteran quarterback to switch sports if he so desires.<\/p>\n

“Kyler is an elite NFL quarterback and I\u2019m sure there are plenty of opportunities for him to continue his football career,” Forst said Wednesday<\/a>. “That said, he and his baseball representatives know that we\u2019re always open to him exploring a return to baseball with the A\u2019s if that time ever comes.”<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Murray has not indicated whether he would consider switching sports. His representation did not immediately respond to USA TODAY Sports’ request for comment about the possibility.<\/p>\n

Either way, here’s what to know about Murray’s baseball career and his initial decision to spurn MLB for the NFL.<\/p>\n

KYLER MURRAY LANDING SPOTS: Five best free-agent fits for QB<\/a><\/p>\n

Can Kyler Murray play baseball?<\/p>\n

Yes, Murray would be eligible to play baseball if he so desires. He is not presently under contract with an NFL team, so he is free to follow whatever career path he chooses.<\/p>\n

However, if Murray wants to make the jump from the NFL to MLB, he would only be eligible to play for the Athletics, barring a trade. The A’s selected him with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft and retained his rights even after he reneged on his contract to play in the NFL.<\/p>\n

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Murray’s original deal with the Athletics contained a $4.66 million signing bonus<\/a>. He was paid $1.5 million of that up front and would have received an additional $3.16 million had he decided to play baseball.<\/p>\n

After choosing to pursue the NFL, Murray was required to return $1.29 million of the original $1.5 million he received from the A’s.<\/p>\n

Kyler Murray baseball stats<\/p>\n

Murray was a touted MLB prospect and was lauded as a potential early selection in the 2015 MLB Draft. However, he opted out of the draft to pursue a career as a two-sport college athlete at Texas A&M.<\/p>\n

Murray backed up Kyle Allen<\/a> in his lone season at College Station before deciding to transfer to Oklahoma. He had to sit out the 2016 college baseball season as a result and didn’t get on the diamond until 2017, his first season with the Sooners.<\/p>\n

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Murray posted just a .122\/.317\/.440 slash line across his first season at Oklahoma. The left fielder had just six hits across 49 at-bats, but he did show off a good eye, walking 13 times, to go along with blazing speed, as he stole 12 bases for the Sooners.<\/p>\n

After spending the summer posting similar numbers across 16 games with the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Harwich Mariners, Murray enjoyed a breakout season for the Sooners. He manned center field and posted a .296\/.398\/.954 slash line with 10 homers, 47 RBI and 10 steals.<\/p>\n

Kyler Murray baseball scouting report<\/p>\n

Murray’s performance put him on the radar ahead of the 2018 MLB Draft. Some executives expressed optimism about him being a first- or second-round selection \u2013 provided he decided to play baseball.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

“He can fly, he can throw, he can steal bases, he has plus bat speed and he makes good contact,” an NL executive told MLB.com in 2018<\/a>. “He’s not that raw at the plate. He’s got a line-drive stroke with some power. I think he’s got a chance to be a true five-tool guy; it’s just a matter of whether he’s going to play the game or not.”<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Murray’s college baseball coach, Skip Johnson, compared him to Andrew McCutchen and expressed confidence Murray would eventually choose baseball over football.<\/p>\n

“I think he knows he’s going to be a baseball player vs. a football player long-term,” Johnson told MLB.com<\/a>. “He talks about it. He knows where his game is and what he wants to do to get better in the game. He understands that; he’s not 6-foot-5.”<\/p>\n

The Athletics were impressed enough with Murray’s performance to spend the draft’s ninth overall pick in on the athletic outfielder despite the uncertainty surrounding him. He signed a contract containing a $4.66 million signing bonus, but his selection also came with the stipulation he would be allowed to play one more season of college football and report to the A’s in the spring of 2019.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Why Kyler Murray choose football over baseball<\/p>\n

Murray returned to Oklahoma and serve as the team’s starting quarterback during his redshirt junior season. It marked the first time Murray had been a full-time college starter, as he spent the 2017 campaign backing up Baker Mayfield<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Murray thrived as Mayfield’s replacement. He won the Heisman Trophy while completing 69% of his passes for 4,361 yards, 42 touchdowns and seven interceptions and adding 1,001 yards and 12 rushing scores.<\/p>\n

The Sooners made it to the College Football Playoff under his leadership but ultimately lost to eventual national champion Alabama in the Orange Bowl.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Murray’s strong showing helped inspire confidence in him as a top 2019 NFL Draft prospect. Ultimately, he chose to pursue football over baseball and eventually became the draft’s No. 1 overall pick despite concerns about his 5-10, 207-pound frame.<\/p>\n

“Football has been my love and passion my entire life,” Murray wrote<\/a> in a statement announcing his decision.<\/p>\n

Murray went on to win the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and has twice been a Pro Bowler during his seven-year career to date.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Kyler Murray play baseball? A’s GM keeps door open<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kyler Murray‘s time with the Arizona Cardinals is coming to an end after seven seasons. The 28-year-old will…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":794498,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3],"tags":[25287,390,1842,111659,28530,111535,7,4827,42615,6,103237],"class_list":["post-794497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-andrew-mccutchen","tag-arizona-cardinals","tag-baker-mayfield","tag-baseball-career","tag-baseball-player","tag-david-forst","tag-football","tag-kyler-murray","tag-mlb-draft","tag-nfl","tag-the-athletics"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116178384591802941","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=794497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/794498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=794497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=794497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=794497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}