The Kyler Murray situation is getting juicier and juicier by the day. A first-round pick (No. 9 overall) of the Oakland Athletics last year, he is currently experiencing a strong pull to want to play football at the NFL level.
Oakland has already signed Murray to a contract worth nearly $5 million, but it has an opt out to play in the NFL if he so chooses.
Now, not only is playing in the NFL seriously on the table, but Murray might be leaning toward playing another season at Oklahoma, if NFL legend Gil Brandt’s insight into this is to be believed.
Two things I wouldn't be shocked if they happened in 2019:
1. Kliff Kingsbury was an NFL HC
2. Kyler Murray returned to OU— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) January 3, 2019
Responding to Brandt’s tweet, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen chimed in Saturday morning, reporting that “People who know Kyler Murray say there is no doubt he loves football more than baseball.”
Of the two football options, it would seem like staying at Oklahoma is riskier. NFL scouts have already pegged Murray as a first-round talent this year. And given the weak quarterback class in 2019, that projection would seem even more ironclad.
If he returned to college in 2019, he’d be risking injury without the money that comes with being a first-round pick, not to mention next year’s draft class is thought to be stronger at the quarterback position.
While we don’t know exactly what Murray is going to do, it seems clear that this past season at Oklahoma — one in which his skills translated to a Heisman Trophy — have helped the young man realize how much he loves the gridiron.