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Kyler Murray has made his decision: after months of speculation, the Oklahoma student-athlete has made a choice between baseball and football.
NFL or MLB?
Murray announced on Twitter Monday that he will be fully committing his time to pursue a career as an NFL quarterback. The 2018 Heisman Trophy winner posted this tweet:
— Kyler Murray (@K1) February 11, 2019
The tweet does not bring any mention to his possible career in baseball or to the Oakland Athletics. His announcement comes just four days before he was scheduled to report to MLB Spring Training.
What Happens to the Money?
Murray signed a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics last summer. The ninth-overall MLB draft pick agreed to a contract that featured a $4.66 million signing bonus. Since Murray will be forgoing his opportunity with the Athletics, he will forfeit $3.16 million and must return $1.29 million of the $1.5 million he received last year by March 1st.
Oakland will not receive a compensatory draft pick. However, the Athletics do retain the rights to Murray, should he choose to change his mind and reverse his decision.
What’s Next?
With the NFL Draft just two months away, Murray’s tweet shares that he is preparing through an extensive training program. Murray poses dual-threat capabilities. He earned a 95.8 QBR as a Sooner, the highest since ESPN started tracking this statistic. In his junior season, Murray posted these stats:
- Threw for 4,361 yards, averaging over 11 yards per pass attempt
- Earned a 69% completion percentage
- 42 touchdowns
Murray is projected to be a first-round pick. If he does go in the first round, Murray would be the first athlete in history to be a first-rounder in both the MLB and NFL drafts.
