With the ninth pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, the Oakland Athletics selected OF Kyler Murray from the University of Oklahoma. The A’s took the OF who also happened to be the starting QB of the Oklahoma Sooners football team. At the time, it was almost a guarantee that Murray would be going with a future in baseball. Now, just a few months and a Heisman Trophy later, Murray appears to be looking to follow his dream and play in the NFL.
What’s the right choice?
MLB Route
Murray signed a contract that would pay him a signing bonus worth nearly $5 million. He’ll have to rise through the ranks of the minor-league baseball system. With the Oakland A’s, he’ll likely start with the AZL Athletics (rookie ball) or the Beloit Snappers of Wisconsin (single-A). He could make it all the way to MLB level in 2-4 years, or he may never make it at all.
Minor-league baseball is its own monster. You have to face the grueling schedules, injuries, and battle others who are trying to realize their dreams. It’s tough. So many times we see top draft picks or highly-touted prospects never make it to the majors.
However, if he were able to succeed and make it to the MLB, he’d be in a good spot. He’d have between 5-7 years of team-control that he’d owe to Oakland. Being in Oakland, with an owner known for not paying the players, it’d be unlikely that he’d make top-dollar or even stay in Oakland.
The positive aspects of playing in the MLB over the NFL include the injury risk and the guaranteed contracts. We all know the risk of injury in the NFL against that of the MLB. He’ll likely have much better long-term health playing baseball. If Murray makes it to the MLB level and is successful, he’ll have an opportunity to make a lot of money. The MLB pay rates are going up and up, and he’ll get all of that guaranteed. If he plays, he gets paid. If he doesn’t, he’ll still get paid. Hell, the Red Sox paid Pablo Sandoval $95 million, and he played 161 games (less than one season). That’s a good break.
NFL Route
Kyler Murray could be a first-round draft pick in this upcoming NFL draft. Arizona Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury, while with Texas Tech, said he’d take Murray number one overall if he had the chance.
Guess what? The Cardinals have that first pick, and Kingsbury was just hired to be
Immediately, as a first round pick, he’d make good money. Lamar Jackson, this year’s 32nd overall pick, signed a four-year $9.47 million contract, $5 million in a signing bonus. On top of that, first rounders get a fifth-year option that’d
On top of that, he’s a QB in the United States’ most popular sport. He’d become a household name and someone that kids would emulate and fans would support. There’s no higher status than NFL QB in the world of sports today. With the NFL, Kyler Murray could make substantial money off the field as well. Patriots’ TE Rob Gronkowski has gone on record saying he hasn’t even touched any of his NFL money. He lives off of his endorsement checks. Those numbers just get bigger for QBs.
Now, you do have to look at injuries in the NFL. Concussions and head trauma are serious issues football is facing. Every year, hundreds of concussions are diagnosed across the league, and hundreds more go undiagnosed. Between the beatings to the head and the constant blows to the rest of the body (knees, back, etc.) post-career life is tough on a lot of guys. For a small guy like Murray, his career may not be long-lived.
So, what’s the right choice?
I guess it’d really be up to what matters to him. Is it the immediate fame, recognition, and money, or does he want a higher chance at a healthier second-half of life and maybe a chance at failure before even making it? To be honest, Murray will probably have multiple options. If he fails in the NFL (not due to injury), the MLB will probably still make him an offer and vice versa.
If it were up to me, I’d like to think that I’d choose the “healthier” option, but it’s the NFL. It’d be tough to turn down that opportunity to become one of the faces of America’s real pastime.
In the end, I believe Murray will choose the NFL, leaving the Athletics out to dry. It’s a business world, one where you have to make smart decisions. Sometimes those decisions are to follow your passion.