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Kyler Murray has been the talk of the sports world for awhile now, especially after guiding his Oklahoma Sooners to a College Football Playoff appearance in a season in which he won the Heisman Trophy. A full-on stud of an athlete, Murray is one of those rare people who has the chance to decide between going pro in baseball or going pro in football. I know, tough life, right?
Thing is, Kyler Murray has been waffling back and forth about which sport he wants to play, and has even mentioned (or teased) the idea of trying to play both. While that seems far-fetched given his position — since quarterbacks are expected to work and study a little bit harder — crazier things have happened.
Given his uncertain future, some sources, reportedly, are getting a little bit pissed off with how Murray’s going about all of this. That’s according to Bleacher Report‘s Matt Miller, who shared some of the things he’s heard from those NFL sources on the Stick to Football podcast.
Per Bleacher Report:
“He’s still going in the first [round], but he needs to get a f–king agent and do it the right way,” one person told Miller.
Another added that Murray was making a leverage play to get more money from the Athletics.
“This is Lavar Ball all over again,” another NFL insider said, referencing Murray’s dad managing the situation.
After the Oakland Athletics signed Kyler Murray to a $4.66 million contract last season prior to the college football season, many expected the pint-sized athlete to pursue a pro baseball career. However, that seems to have changed after winning the Heisman and collecting feedback on where he might be drafted by an NFL team, leading to Murray reconsidering a decision.
Making matters a little worse for Kyler Murray, at least publicaly, was an awkward exchange on the Dan Patrick Show last week, where he decided not to answer a single question about football or baseball. Uh, yeah, might want to get a better PR person, Kyler.
Could Kyler Murray just be balking at committing to try and get more money from the A’s? According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, it could be. Take a look at what Passan recently tweeted about the theory.
During a meeting in Dallas today, the possibility of Oakland guaranteeing money in addition to Murray's $4.66 million signing bonus was raised, sources tell ESPN. To do so, Oakland would need to add Murray to its 40-man roster. He still could develop in the minor leagues.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 13, 2019
Still: The notion of a player who has never taken an at-bat in the minor leagues winding up with a big league deal shows how special a situation Kyler Murray's is. It's not just the Oakland A's invested in him. It's Major League Baseball, too. Murray in MLB would be a coup.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 13, 2019
Who knows what the hell is going on in Kyler Murray’s mind right now. But, with NFL sources mad that he’s being managed by his dad and isn’t getting great advice, as well as stringing his decision along — which handcuffs teams from scouting him — it’s turning into a full-fledged sh*tshow.