Kyler still open to playing baseball; A's hold his rights

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Kyler Murray has announced himself as one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL, putting up almost 4,000 passing yards in 2020 to go along with 26 touchdowns. But he reportedly still hasn't ruled out a return to baseball, per Bob McManaman from The Arizona Republic.

The Oakland A's drafted Murray at No. 9 in the 2018 MLB Draft. As an outfielder for Oklahoma, he hit .296 with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs in 2018, the second and last season that he played baseball in college. Though the A's knew that Murray intended to return to play quarterback at Oklahoma in the fall of 2018, they signed him to a deal with a $4.66 million signing bonus (about the usual value for a No. 9 pick).

Murray went on to win the Heisman Trophy that December, leading the Cardinals to pick him at No. 1 in the 2019 NFL Draft. He's the only player to ever be drafted in the first round of both the NFL and MLB drafts.

Murray has said before that he would "never say never" to playing professional baseball at some point. He was even spotted wearing an A's hat at a Warriors-Suns game this past March.

Going into his third year in the NFL, Murray will be eligible to renegotiate his contract with the Cardinals after the 2021 season is over. Could we see him make a switch to baseball, or will this give him leverage with the Cardinals? We'll have to wait and see.

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