Jeff Chiu/Associated Press
As the Oakland Athletics attempted to persuade 2018 first-round pick Kyler Murray to stick with baseball over football, they put a new contract offer on the table that may have given the reigning Heisman Trophy winner cause to pause.
According to Sports Illustrated‘s Robert Klemko, Oakland offered Murray a deal that featured $14 million in guaranteed money in addition to the $4.6 million signing bonus he was entitled to as the ninth overall pick in last year’s MLB amateur draft.
The reworked deal also would have forced the A’s to put the 21-year-old on its 40-man roster.
When Murray was drafted by Oakland in June 2018, he was expected to be the Oklahoma Sooner’s starting quarterback in the fall. At that point, he was not projected to be a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft—so the Athletics gave him their blessing to play one more season of football with the understanding that he would focus on baseball moving forward.
“Circumstances change,” Missy Murray, Kyler’s mom, told Klemko. “Nobody knew he’d be in the position he is.”
Murray would wind up having a record-setting season for Oklahoma en route to winning the Heisman and leading the Sooners to the College Football Playoff. He completed 69 percent of his passes for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns in 14 games.
The 5’10”, 195-pound dual-sport star noted to Klemko that he “risked a lot to play football in 2018.” However, the risk appears to have paid off, as he is projected to be the first player off the board come April 25.
Once Oklahoma’s season concluded in late December, there was no shortage of speculation about what sport Murray would choose. While he refrained from tipping his hand early on, he ultimately announced his decision to play football in mid-February.
By doing so, he was obligated to pay back $1.29 million of the $1.5 million signing bonus he had already received from Oakland and forfeit the remaining $3.16 million.
For those who question Murray’s commitment to football, his father, Kevin, pointed out his son gave up a good amount of money to play college football.
“Ninety-six percent of kids who just signed a $4.6 million deal to play baseball wouldn’t have been on no football field the following fall,” Kevin told Klemko. “How can people question his love for the game?”
For comparison, No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield received a four-year, $32.68 million deal from the Cleveland Browns, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith signed a four-year, $18.5 million deal after going eighth overall last year, according to Klemko.
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