Kyler Murray’s 2018 MLB Draft Rights Revived by Athletics
The Oakland Athletics have told Kyler Murray he would be welcome to return to professional baseball, reviving a story that began with the 2018 MLB Draft, after the Arizona Cardinals informed Murray they plan to release him, NBC Sports reported Thursday. Murray, now 28, was the ninth overall pick in that draft and signed a contract with Oakland before pivoting to football. The development reintroduces one of the more unusual dual-sport narratives in recent American professional sports history.
The Athletics’ outreach is not a formal offer. It is an open invitation. Oakland’s general manager confirmed the organization’s willingness to let Murray explore a baseball return — a meaningful signal given that he has not played professional baseball since signing with the club eight years ago. Whether Murray acts on that invitation is another matter entirely.
Murray’s Path From the Diamond to the NFL
Murray entered the 2018 MLB Draft as one of the most athletically gifted players available, earning the ninth overall selection by Oakland. He signed a professional contract that year while simultaneously planning to play one concluding college football campaign at the University of Oklahoma. The Athletics and Murray operated under a mutual understanding: he would honor his baseball commitment after football ended.
That plan unraveled quickly — and profitably for Murray’s football trajectory. He won the Heisman Trophy during his Oklahoma season, transforming his NFL stock overnight. The Arizona Cardinals then selected Murray with the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Faced with a guaranteed baseball path versus a historic NFL opportunity, Murray chose football. The numbers behind that choice were straightforward: first overall NFL picks command guaranteed contracts that dwarf most minor league baseball earnings by orders of magnitude.
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His draft rights technically remained with the Athletics through various roster mechanisms, but Murray never suited up in an Oakland uniform. That history now resurfaces as his NFL tenure faces an abrupt conclusion.
Oakland’s general manager stated directly that the organization is open to Murray exploring a return to professional baseball. That phrasing — “always open” — carries deliberate weight. It does not constitute a roster guarantee, a minor league assignment, or a formal negotiation. It is an institutional green light, and the distinction matters.
The Athletics’ stance makes organizational sense. Murray’s MLB Draft pedigree as a ninth overall pick reflects genuine evaluative confidence in his baseball tools. A player with that draft profile, even at 28 with years away from the sport, represents a low-risk, high-upside reclamation project for a franchise that has operated with significant roster flexibility in recent years. The downside for Oakland is minimal. The upside, if Murray’s tools translate, is considerable.
NBC Sports noted that a baseball return at age 28 is considered unlikely. The same report, however, acknowledged that Murray is talented enough to have a real chance at reaching the major leagues if he chose to pursue it. Those two assessments are not contradictory. They reflect the gap between raw ability and the grind of professional development — a gap that the film on every top-ten pick shows is real, regardless of athleticism.
Dual-Sport History and What the Numbers Reveal
The record among dual-sport athletes who attempt baseball returns is consistent: the transition timeline is rarely short. Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson both moved between baseball and football at elite levels and demonstrated that raw athleticism alone does not substitute for the repetition-intensive skill work that hitting and fielding demand. Their careers reveal a pattern — elite tools get a player to the ballpark; daily reps determine whether he stays.
Murray’s athletic profile — elite hand-eye coordination, top-end speed, and the raw tools that earned him a top-ten MLB Draft selection — remains the baseline argument for his viability on a diamond. But an eight-year gap from competitive play at any level is a substantial developmental obstacle. The numbers reveal a hard truth: no player in modern MLB history has stepped away for eight years after a top-ten draft selection and returned to reach the majors. That does not make Murray’s path impossible, but it establishes the historical weight he would be pushing against.
The sport Murray would re-enter has also changed. Since 2018, spin rate data, exit velocity benchmarks, launch angle optimization, and barrel rate thresholds have redefined how organizations evaluate hitters at every level. A returning Murray would need to produce metrics that satisfy modern front-office standards, not just demonstrate old-school baseball instincts. No public assessment of Murray’s current baseball-specific measurables exists, making any projection speculative.
Murray was selected ninth overall by Oakland in the 2018 MLB Draft and signed a contract with the organization that year.
He won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma, dramatically elevating his NFL market value.
The Cardinals selected Murray with the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, prompting him to abandon his baseball path.
Arizona has informed Murray they plan to release him, creating the circumstances that reopened the baseball conversation.
Oakland’s general manager confirmed the organization’s openness to a return, though NBC Sports described it as unlikely at age 28.
Can Murray Realistically Reach the Majors at 28?
Oakland’s own assessment, as reported by NBC Sports, is that Murray is talented enough that if he pursued baseball, “there’s a real chance he could make the major leagues”. That is a notable front-office statement — not a certainty, but a genuine probability assessment rooted in the tools that made him a top-ten MLB Draft pick.
Age 28 is not an automatic disqualifier. The eight-year absence from competitive play is the more pressing variable. In draft history, players chosen in the top ten carry significant organizational investment and scouting confidence. Murray’s 2018 position reflects evaluator consensus that his bat, speed, and athleticism projected as legitimate professional tools. Whether those tools have atrophied, remained dormant, or can be rapidly rebuilt is an empirical question only a structured workout program could answer. Exit velocity data from batting practice sessions would give Oakland’s front office a concrete starting point — but no such data has been made public.
The grounded interpretation: Oakland’s openness is genuine but conditional. Murray would need to initiate the process, commit to the developmental timeline a minor league return demands, and prove his baseball tools remain intact after nearly a decade away. The MLB Draft rights conversation is the beginning of a process, not the conclusion of one. Formal negotiations and roster moves would follow only if Murray signals serious intent — and so far, no such signal has been reported.
What pick was Kyler Murray in the 2018 MLB Draft?
Kyler Murray was selected ninth overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 2018 MLB Draft. He signed a contract with Oakland that year but ultimately chose football after winning the Heisman Trophy and being taken first overall in the 2019 NFL Draft by Arizona.
Why is Kyler Murray considering a return to baseball in 2026?
Murray is exploring a potential baseball return because the Arizona Cardinals informed him they plan to release him from the NFL roster, according to NBC Sports reporting from March 5, 2026. That development effectively ended his NFL tenure with Arizona and created an opening for Oakland to reiterate their willingness to welcome him back to professional baseball.
Do the Athletics still hold Kyler Murray’s MLB Draft rights?
The Oakland Athletics originally held Murray’s rights after selecting him ninth overall in the 2018 MLB Draft and signing him to a contract that year. Oakland’s general manager confirmed in March 2026 that the organization remains open to Murray exploring a baseball return, indicating ongoing organizational interest in his future in the sport.
How old is Kyler Murray and does his age affect a baseball return?
Murray is 28 years old as of March 2026. NBC Sports noted that a baseball return at 28 is considered unlikely, though the same report acknowledged Murray is talented enough that a path to the major leagues is a real possibility if he chose to pursue it. His eight-year absence from competitive baseball remains the primary developmental challenge.
Which NFL team drafted Kyler Murray first overall?
The Arizona Cardinals selected Murray with the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. That selection came after he won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma, and it prompted Murray to abandon his previously planned professional baseball career with Oakland.
