A’s meeting with Kyler Murray in attempt to get him to stick with baseball
Kyler Murray is said to be strongly considering the possibility of entering the NFL Draft and pursuing a career in football, and the Oakland A’s are hoping they can change the star quarterback’s mind.
The A’s drafted Murray with the No. 9 overall pick in the MLB Draft last year, and they agreed to allow him to play one more season at Oklahoma. Murray’s agent, Scott Boras, has said all along that Murray is committed to playing baseball, but that no longer seems like a guarantee. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the A’s were scheduled to meet with Murray on Sunday recruit him, in a sense.
The Oakland #Athletics have a contingent, led by president Billy Beane, meeting today with Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray in hopes of persuading him to forego the #NFL and play baseball for them. They drafted him 9th overall last summer and gave him a $4.66 million bonus.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 13, 2019
Murray’s chances at immediate success in the NFL seem greater than they would be with baseball, and he is reportedly planning to enter the NFL Draft. Unless health is his main reason for choosing baseball over football, he probably has an easier path to making big money in the NFL, especially with what we have heard about how NFL executives feel about him.
If Murray does choose football, he would have to pay back the more than $4 million bonus the A’s gave him. Oakland would not, however, receive a compensatory draft pick.