Kyler Murray rolls toward a career crossroads next week, when the former No. 1 NFL draft pick is expected to be released by the Arizona Cardinals.
Several teams with a glaring need at the position reportedly are lining up to make Murray an offer, from the New York Jets to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings.
The 28-year-old certainly should have options.
But is baseball about to be back on the table for Murray, a two-sport standout at Oklahoma drafted by the A’s ninth overall in the 2018 MLB Draft?
The A’s signed Murray before he was selected No. 1 by the Cardinals in 2019 and ended his baseball career. If that candle is flickering, A’s general manager David Forst said the franchise would entertain the conversation.
“Kyler is an elite NFL quarterback, and I’m sure there are plenty of opportunities for him to continue his football career,” 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.”
Even if Murray isn’t ready to close the door entirely on professional football, he could consider training for a return to attempt the two-sport feat last seen from Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders.
The A’s still own his contractual rights, which means Murray wouldn’t be free to attempt to play for MLB and NFL teams in the same city or region — the Jets and Yankees or Dolphins and Marlins, for example — without a trade.
Murray was an outfielder for the Sooners and started 50 games in 2018, racking up a .296 batting average with 10 home runs, 13 doubles, 47 RBIs, 46 runs and 10 stolen bases.
