Kyler Murray was the ninth overall pick in the Major League Baseball draft in 2018, signed a contract with the Athletics that year, and planned to pursue a professional baseball career after one final season of college football. Then Murray won the Heisman Trophy in his final season, was the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft, and decided to pursue football instead.
Now Murray has been told the Cardinals plan to cut him, and the Athletics have let him know he’d be welcome to play baseball again.
“Kyler is an elite NFL quarterback and I’m sure there are plenty of opportunities for him to continue his football career,” Athletics General Manager David Forst told MLB.com. “That said, he and his baseball representatives know that we’re always open to him exploring a return to baseball with the A’s if that time ever comes.”
It’s unlikely that Murray will change sports at age 28, but he’s talented enough that if he wanted to do it, there’s a real chance he could make the major leagues. And he’s already got a team that would love to see him give it a try.
The Cardinals and Panthers will be kicking off the NFL’s 2026 preseason schedule.
The NFL announced on Wednesday that the two teams will be playing in this August’s Hall of Fame Game. The game will be held on August 6 in Canton, Ohio with this year’s Hall of Fame induction ceremonies set for August 8.
It is the first time the Panthers will play in the game since 1995. The Cardinals have made five appearances with the last one coming in 2017.
Both teams will be represented at those ceremonies as well. Former Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald and former Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly are both entering the Hall this year.
The rest of this year’s class includes former Saints quarterback Drew Brees, former Patriots and Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, and former 49ers running back Roger Craig.
The Cardinals will release quarterback Kyler Murray next week. Where will he land?
DraftKings has the Vikings as the early favorites to sign the first overall pick in the 2019 draft, at -110.
The Jets are next at +175, with the Dolphins at +320 and the Browns at +450.
The Falcons, at +500, are one of the most intriguing options, given their talent elsewhere on offense. As mentioned over the weekend, however, new president of football operations Matt Ryan (a 6'5" former quarterback) will have to be content to ride with an undersized signal caller.
There’s a long shot to watch, at +7500: The Rams. They’ll likely need a replacement for Jimmy Garoppolo at No. 2 behind Matthew Stafford, and there’s an unverified (for now) rumor making the rounds that Stafford has already contacted Murray to make the case for coming to L.A.
Murray’s former head coach in Arizona, Kliff Kingsbury, is now a member of the Rams’ coaching staff. And Murray’s former Oklahoma teammate, Baker Mayfield, had a late 2022 cup of coffee with the Rams that may have helped launch his resurgence in Tampa.
The real question is whether Murray wants to play in 2026, or whether he’s content to take a step back for a year and lay the foundation for wherever he’ll be in 2027.
Either way, the clock is ticking (as it is for all of us). Murray turns 29 later this year. The high-end speed and acceleration will fade. At some point, he’ll need to transition to pocket passer if he hopes to keep playing deep into his 30s.
Rams backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is due to become a free agent next week. The Cardinals and Packers reportedly are interested. Are the Rams?
“Absolutely,” coach Sean McVay told reporters on Tuesday. “I love Jimmy. I would absolutely want him back. I did see those reports too on [Cardinals coach] Mike [LaFleur] trying to steal our guy, but no, Jimmy’s a really good player and so we would love him back.
“I’m sure he’ll have multiple opportunities and then we’ll see where we’re at. He’s been tremendous for the last couple of years. We’ve loved everything he’s about. You guys know how I feel about him when we’ve spoken about him and we would love him back. I’m also not naive to the fact that he’ll probably have a lot of opportunities and if those are things that he wants to pursue that give him a chance to play, I would understand that.”
If they really wanted him, they would have extended his deal before he got close enough to sniff free agency. Garoppolo will now hit the open market — and possibly will hit the road.
Should Garoppolo leave, the Rams will need a new No. 2 quarterback. Stetson Bennett, a fourth-round pick in 2023, enters the final year of his contract. He was entrusted with the backup job for two games in 2024, when Garoppolo was serving a suspension under the NFL’s PED policy.
Regular visitors to PFT shrugged at the news that the Cardinals will release quarterback Kyler Murray, the first overall pick in the 2019 draft. It was a move that was coming for months.
They’ll also shrug when Murray makes his likely next move — a one-year deal for $1.3 million.
With the Cardinals owing Murray $36.8 million, fully guaranteed, for 2026, Murray can do what Russell Wilson did in 2024. Take a one-year minimum deal, and stick the Cardinals for the balance.
There’s no reason not to do it. Murray would still have massive financial security for 2026, with maximum flexibility for 2027. With the Cardinals entitled to a dollar-for-dollar offset, the fewer dollars Murray takes, the more cap dollars his new team will have.
And if (unlike Wilson) multiple teams clamor for his services, Murray should ask for one other thing: A no-trade, no-tag clause.
The no-trade clause is important, because if Murray is anything but the unquestioned starter for his next team, he becomes a potential target for another team that is willing to give real value for the balance of a bargain-basement contract. (In hindsight, the Steelers should have traded Wilson at or before the deadline, and they should have stuck with Justin Fields for the rest of 2024.)
The no-tag clause would ensure a straight shot to free agency in 2027, with no Daniel Jones-style impediments.
