Kyler Murray - Pro Football Rumors

Kyler Murray Commits To Football

February 11th, 2019 at 11:54am CST by Dallas Robinson

Oklahoma quarterback and Oakland Athletics first-round draft pick Kyler Murray has decided to fully pursue a career within the NFL, he announced on Twitter today.

“Moving forward, I am firmly and fully committing my life and time to becoming an NFL quarterback,” Murray’s statement reads. “Football has been my love and my passion my entire life. I was raised to play QB, and I very much look forward to dedicating 100% of myself to being the best QB possible and winning NFL championships.

“I have started an extensive training program to further prepare myself for upcoming NFL workouts and interviews. I eagerly await the opportunity to continue to prove to NFL decision makers that I am the franchise this draft.”

Murray, who won the 2018 Heisman Trophy after throwing for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns during his only year as the Sooners’ starting quarterback, formally entered the draft in January and recently announced he’d be attending the NFL scouting combine. Still, it was unclear whether Murray would choose to accept the $4.66MM signing bonus he received from the Athletics as the No. 9 overall selection, or instead head to the NFL. MLB, for its part, was willing to allow Murray to sign a Major League contract with Oakland that would have allowed to buoy his earning power.

Murray, though, clearly seems to favor football over baseball, and given that he’s expected to selected in the first round of the NFL draft (and thus become the first athlete ever chosen in the first round of both the NFL and MLB drafts, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com), Murray should be able to top his MLB guarantees. The No. 32 pick in the NFL draft — the final slot in the first round — will receive a signing bonus of roughly $5.414MM, per Over the Cap, a value that tops Murray’s MLB bonus. Additionally, the entire value of any first-round NFL pick’s contract will be fully guaranteed.

Kyler Murray To Participate In Combine

February 7th, 2019 at 2:13pm CST by Zachary Links

Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray will be among the prospects auditioning at the 2019 NFL Draft Combine, according to a press release from the NFL. There are 338 participants in total, but Murray’s name stands out due to the intrigue surrounding him and his ongoing dilemma of deciding between football and baseball.

The Oakland A’s (and, by extension, Major League Baseball) are in a tug-of-war against the NFL to secure Murray’s services. Murray, the No. 9 overall pick in last year’s MLB draft, profiles as a promising outfielder in the baseball world. He also has serious potential as an NFL QB and he stands to earn more than double the $4.66MM signing bonus that the A’s gave him if he winds up being a first-round pick.

On the baseball side, Murray is represented by super agent Scott Boras. However, he has yet to retain an agent for the NFL. That has let some NFL execs to question his commitment to football, though today’s news may convince the doubters otherwise.

In his first season as a starter, Murray threw for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns and ran for another 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Sooners. Oklahoma reached the College Football Playoff semifinals with Murray at the helm but fell to Alabama 45-34.

Latest On Kyler Murray

February 4th, 2019 at 12:15pm CST by Zachary Links

Kyler Murray has entered his name in the 2019 NFL Draft and league executives are intrigued by his talent. They’re also concerned about the Oklahoma quarterback’s situation and his true intentions, according to sources who spoke with Matt Miller of Bleacher Report.

On the baseball side, Murray is represented by super agent Scott Boras. However, he has yet to retain an agent for the NFL.

“He’s still going in the first [round], but he needs to get an [expletive] agent and do it the right way,” one person told Miller.

Another source expressed concern that Murray may be making a leverage play to get more money from the Oakland A’s. This jibes with other recent reports – even though Murray says he wants to play football, he is said to be very much undecided about which sport to pick. The A’s are still negotiating to potentially sweeten his deal and Major League Baseball is also working to bring the two-sport star to the diamond.

If Murray can convince NFL execs that he is serious about playing football, it’s possible that he could be a top 10 pick.

Extra Points: Goodell, Hunt, Foster, Redskins, Kyler Murray, Whitehead

January 31st, 2019 at 10:03pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Commissioner Roger Goodell gave his annual press conference Wednesday, and was unsurprisingly asked about former Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt. Goodell said the investigation into the incident that led the Chiefs to cut Hunt “should conclude ‘soon’ and that he’ll go back on the exempt list whenever” he ends up signing with a team, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

As Rapsheet points out, Hunt is looking at a “likely suspension”, although it’s unclear what the length may be. We heard a couple of weeks ago that the investigation was likely to be over by March. Shortly before that, it was reported that the Bears had spoken to Hunt. Chicago seems like a strong possibility for Hunt, as Jordan Howard struggled heavily this year and it would reunite Hunt with his former offensive coordinator in Matt Nagy.

Here’s more from around the league:

Speaking of possible suspensions, Goodell also weighed in on Reuben Foster‘s situation. In the same tweet, Rapoport wrote that Goodell said “just because his charge was dropped doesn’t mean he won’t be suspended.” Foster recently saw the charges dropped for his most recent arrest, but he’s apparently not out of the woods yet. Goodell also said that he plans to speak in person with Foster again before making a decision, according to Mark Maske of the Washington Post. Foster was claimed off waivers by the Redskins after the 49ers cut him late in the season, but he’s been on the exempt list ever since.
The Redskins recently promoted quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell to offensive coordinator, but that doesn’t mean head coach Jay Gruden is giving up play-calling duties. Redskins team president Bruce Allen said during a recent radio appearance that as of now the plan is still for Gruden to call the plays, according to John Keim of ESPN.com. Allen did leave the door open for things to change, and other sources told Keim that a change is still in play.
Despite declaring for the NFL draft, Kyler Murray is still very much undecided about whether he’ll play football or baseball, according to Rapoport (Twitter link). Rapoport notes in the video that Murray hasn’t yet hired an agent for football or committed to attending the combine next month, and says the A’s, the MLB team that holds Murray’s rights, are still negotiating to potentially sweeten his deal and convince him to play baseball. He’ll have to make a decision pretty soon, and we should know a lot more within the next few weeks.
Former Cowboys and Jets kick returner Lucky Whitehead was arrested in Virginia earlier this week and charged with driving under the influence, according to TMZ. Whitehead was released by the Cowboys in 2017 after a bizarre incident where it was wrongly reported that Whitehead had been arrested after someone had given his identity to police. He was claimed off waivers by the Jets, and spent the 2017 season with them. Cut this past August, he spent the entire 2018 season out of football. Now arrested for real, this won’t help his chances of getting back into the league.

AFC West Notes: Raiders, Carr, Broncos

January 31st, 2019 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the Raiders transition further into the second Jon Gruden era, more staff turnover can be expected. Mike Mayock has replaced Reggie McKenzie as GM, and another of McKenzie’s lieutenants is no longer with the team. Director of pro personnel Dane Vandernat recently left the Raiders, according to Sirius XM’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). Vandernat’s contract was to expire after the draft, per Caplan, who adds Dave Razzano will take over some of Vandernat’s pre-draft workload. This comes after player personnel director Joey Clinkscales received his walking papers. Teams that make front office changes often wait until after the draft to revamp scouting departments, and Mayock recently said he is scouting the in-house scouts. Vandernat’s Raiders arrival predated McKenzie’s. He had been with the team since 2008. Reggie McKenzie’s twin brother, Raleigh McKenzie, is still working for the Raiders as a scout.

Here is the latest from the AFC West, shifting to the Raiders’ quarterback situation.

Rumors are circulating about Gruden and Mayock bringing in their own quarterback, with Peter King of NBC Sports writing “lots” of suspicion has arisen about the Raiders drafting a passer in the first round. This prospective move would not be accompanied by a Derek Carr trade, per King, who adds an NFL exec said the team may be tempted by the Chiefs’ draft-and-wait model they used with Patrick Mahomes. Of course, Alex Smith was 33 during Mahomes’ rookie season; Carr will turn 28 this year. That would not make for a smooth setup. Additionally, the Raiders’ first-round picks acquired via trade sit at Nos. 24 and 27. Several potential quarterback-seeking teams pick ahead of them, with the Giants (No. 6), Jaguars (7), Broncos (10), Dolphins (13, though they are eyeing the 2020 QB class) and Redskins (15) stationed in the first round’s top half. It would be a bit odd if the Raiders gave up assets to replace Carr, and King is hearing buzz about it even taking a top-10 pick to select Kyler Murray (if he ends up in the draft).
The Broncos‘ $41MM-plus in cap space places them in the upper middle class this offseason, but they have a few possible cuts they can make to increase that figure. Coming off back-to-back losing seasons for the first time in 46 years, the Broncos are expected to be active in free agency, ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold notes (on Twitter). Denver needs help at cornerback, on the offensive line and at tight end, to name three spots. The Broncos have several notable UFAs, but so far, Matt Paradis has been the only higher-end UFA mentioned as a player the franchise would like to retain. Bradley Roby, Shane Ray and Shaquil Barrett, the latter eyeing a starting role he cannot obtain in Denver, are expected to depart.
DeMarcus Ware worked as a pass-rush consultant in Denver last season, but he might not be back in 2019. Vic Fangio has not spoken with Ware about returning, Troy Renck of Denver7 tweets. Fangio said he will spend time with Denver’s outside linebackers, and he brought Brandon Staley over from Chicago to directly oversee this spot.
The Broncos hired the grandson of former Colorado coach Bill McCartney to be their quarterbacks coach, and they are adding former Stanford, Notre Dame and Washington HC Tyrone Willingham‘s son, Nathaniel Willingham, to serve as their defensive quality control coach, Mike Klis of 9News notes. The younger Willingham spent the past four seasons as a Stanford coach.
Melvin Gordon will see how Le’Veon Bell‘s deal affects the market before discussing a Chargers extension.

Kyler Murray Enters NFL Draft

January 14th, 2019 at 2:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner says he wants to play in the NFL. On Monday, Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray announced that he has entered the 2019 NFL Draft, which likely means forgoing an opportunity to play professional baseball and join the Oakland A’s.

In theory, Murray can still alter his plans and join up with the A’s, who may be willing to rework his contract in order to match his potential earning power in the NFL. But, if Murray can convince teams that he is absolutely serious about playing football, he may be able to put himself in the first-round mix, which would result in a hefty four-year guarantee.

Right now, NFL scouts estimate that he’ll be a second- or third-round pick, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. But, given his tremendous athleticism and upside, it’s not hard to see him as a Day 1 selection.

Most evaluators have also told Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter) that Murray projects as a Friday pick, meaning Round 2 or 3. However, QBs tend to inch up the board as the draft draws near, which is why we’ve had 13 first-round QBs taken in the last four years versus just two second-round signal callers in the second round.

In his first season as a starter, Murray threw for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns and ran for another 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Sooners. Oklahoma reached the College Football Playoff semifinals with Murray at the helm but fell to Alabama 45-34.

Latest On Kyler Murray’s Future

January 13th, 2019 at 12:01pm CST by Rory Parks

Oklahoma QB and Heisman winner Kyler Murray is now expected to enter the NFL draft and is leaning towards a football career despite a report last month indicating that he would follow through on his baseball commitment after being selected by MLB’s Oakland A’s with the No. 9 overall pick in last year’s draft. However, the A’s are not going down without a fight.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets that Athletics GM Billy Beane and other members of the team’s front office are meeting with Murray today in an effort to convince him to stick with baseball (the deadline for Murray’s application for entry into the NFL draft is tomorrow). As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, the A’s don’t necessarily need a firm decision from Murray today. All they need is for Murray to not slam the door on baseball, because until he does, there’s a good chance that no NFL team will spend a first-round pick on him. And if Murray is not going to be a first-round choice, he may be inclined to stay with baseball.

Much of that has to do with simple math. The A’s gave Murray a $4.66MM signing bonus, which he would be required to pay back if he chooses to play football, and as ESPN’s Chris Mortensen observes, the last pick in the first round of the 2018 draft (Lamar Jackson) got a $4.97MM signing bonus (Twitter link).

Mortensen reports that Murray is still expected to apply for the NFL draft, regardless of how convincing Beane’s pitch is, though he will have 72 hours to change his mind.

West Notes: Fitz, Wilson, Henry

January 13th, 2019 at 10:00am CST by Rory Parks

Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald did not announce that he would return for the 2018 season until mid-February of 2018, and it appears that we could have a similar wait in 2019. Fitz told ESPN’s Adam Schefter earlier this week that he would take some time to collect his thoughts after a difficult 3-13 season, but that the team’s recent hiring of new head coach Kliff Kingsbury would not sway him one way or another. If Fitz does decide to play, he would technically be eligible for free agency, but it is impossible to imagine him playing for a team other than Arizona.

Now for more from the league’s west divisions:

This probably doesn’t mean much, especially in light of last week’s reports on the matter, but Kingsbury has said that he would consider drafting Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray with the Cardinals‘ No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft, per ESPN’s Sam Ponder (via Twitter).
The Seahawks are set to begin contract negotiations with quarterback Russell Wilson, and in a piece that is well-worth a full read, Joel Corry of CBS Sports says that Wilson’s new deal will pay him at least $35MM per year.
After being activated on Monday, Chargers TE Hunter Henry is expected to play in the team’s divisional round showdown in Foxborough this afternoon, per Albert Breer of SI.com.
We heard yesterday that Bears defensive backs coach Ed Donatell will be a top target of new Broncos coach Vic Fangio, and Mike Klis of 9News tweets that Donatell is currently deciding between staying in Chicago or following Fangio to Denver.
Former Buccaneers defensive line coach Brentson Buckner will join the Raiders in the same capacity, per Greg Auman of The Athletic (Twitter link).
49ers defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina will not be returning to the team, per Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio (via Twitter).

Cardinals Won’t Trade Rosen, Draft Murray

January 10th, 2019 at 3:23pm CST by Zachary Links

The Oakland A’s expect Kyler Murray to give up on baseball in order to pursue his NFL dreams. The buzz in the football world is palpable, and speculation has built around a possible union between the Cardinals and the Oklahoma quarterback, with the Cards trading 2018 first-rounder Josh Rosen. Such a scenario is “ludicrous” and “not happening,” a Cardinals source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

New Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury has referred to Murray as a “freak” in the past and lauded his immense potential. Still, giving up on Rosen so soon in favor of a talented, but undersized, QB prospect, would be incredibly gutsy. You can never say never on anything – particularly when the Cardinals already went way outside of the box to hire Kingsbury – but the odds of this happening do feel unlikely.

The Cardinals have a number of needs to address on both sides of the ball and trading Rosen for pennies on the dollar to replace him with another rookie QB would not make a whole lot of sense. Instead, the Cardinals would probably be best served by going with another position with the No. 1 overall pick, or trading down in order to take care of multiple areas of need.

Rosen, 22 in February, finished out with a 3-10 record in 2018.

A’s Expect Kyler Murray To Enter NFL Draft

January 9th, 2019 at 9:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Oakland Athletics own Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray‘s baseball rights after selecting him in the first round of the 2018 MLB draft, but they expect him to declare for the NFL draft this weekend, according to Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle.

Simply declaring for the NFL draft doesn’t necessarily mean Murray will decide not to play for the Athletics, although one source does tell Slusser that Murray is reportedly leaning towards football. If Murray does opt to play football, he’d be required to pay back the A’s more than $4.5MM. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) NFL decision-makers believe Murray is “magic” and predict he’d come off the board on Day 1 or 2 of the draft, so he’d be able to make up that lost money in short order.

Murray and his agent Scott Boras have never officially ruled out the NFL despite persistently denying interest in deviating from an MLB-based plan. The Athletics would retain Murray’s baseball rights, but playing both baseball and football is not an option for Murray, per Slusser. The time commitments afforded to modern day professional sports simply make a dual-sport athlete nearly impossible.

Murray will likely need to make a decision by the end of February, as Slusser reports. He’ll be expected to attend Spring Training at that point, while the impending NFL Draft Combine would also require his attention, meaning the Heisman winner’s hand will likely be forced.