Kyler Murray can’t seem to let go of baseball

Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is still considering patrolling the outfield, as well as the football field.

Kyler Murray is still considering patrolling the outfield, as well as the football field.

The Arizona Cardinals franchise quarterback is about to enter his third NFL season and Murray can’t seem to go all-in for football.

Before he was drafted No. 1 overall by the Cardinals in 2019, Murray already was a big baseball prospect — to date, he is the only athlete to ever be selected in the first round of both a NFL and a MLB draft. Murray was slated to report to the Oakland Athletics’ spring training in 2019, but after winning the Heisman Trophy, he moved his focus over to football.

According to Murray, no one should rule out his return to baseball.

“I know everybody around (the organization) probably feels different about it,” Murray told media this week. “But me personally, I played the game my whole life. If I ever had the opportunity, for sure, I would definitely go for it. What are we talking about? I’m sure anyone asking me about it would (take that opportunity) too. I’m not trying to start anything. I’m just talking.”

Kyler Murray was the first-ever first-round draft pick in the NFL and MLB.

He, alongside Bronny James, appears on the cover of Sports Illustration with FaZe Clan, a high-profile esports group that Murray is a part of. Despite his apparent gaming and football successes, baseball seems to stay on his mind — even though his Cardinals contract prohibits it.

“I still hold on to the three-sport title,” Murray said. “If the time came where I got to do what I wanted to do, which, I don’t know, but I’m leaving it open. I think I can still play, for sure, but we’ll add the gaming on to that. Don’t shortchange me.”

It is not inconceivable for him to eventually make a major career move, as he is only 23 years old. It’s not unheard of for players to leave football for baseball, or even to compete at the sports simultaneously — Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson managed careers in the MLB and the NFL. Tim Tebow made the transition to baseball for four years before returning to football as a tight end with the Jacksonville Jaguars in May.

Kyler Murray may not be content as a two-sport star.

The speedy quarterback can begin negotiating his second contract after the 2021 season — and it will be interesting to see if that deal would have any baseball provisions in it.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Elizabeth Karpen