Kyler Murray became the first athlete ever selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball and NFL drafts. He went ninth overall to the A’s in June 2018, and they paid him a $4.66 million signing bonus.
Murray never played professional baseball.
He won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma in 2018, committed to football and went No. 1 overall to the Cardinals last spring.
Murray said during a visit to radio row during Super Bowl LIII that he wished he didn’t have to make a decision.
After his rookie season, Murray seems more convinced than ever that he could play both sports in the same year.
“I think I could,” Murray said Thursday, via Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic. “Athletically, I think, yeah, I could do it. I’ve been playing both my whole life. I would love to add that to the resume.”
It’s not a feat Murray is thinking about trying now, but he didn’t rule it out for the future.
“I don’t understand why in sports they try to marginalize it,” Murray said. “They try to make you pick one and I get it, but we’ll see. I think it would be fun. Right now, though, I’m just focused on football.”
The A’s still hold Murray’s baseball rights.
