It was fun while it lasted. Kyler Murray had taken down all of his pictures and removed any mention of the Arizona Cardinals from his Instagram account, leading to plenty of speculation that he was frustrated with the franchise after their playoff loss. Murray had also mentioned that he was still hoping to pursue baseball at some point as he still loved the sport.
And so the speculation began. Murray was looking for a way out of Arizona and was ready to return to baseball. He had made a decent chunk of change after all, and could now pursue his other dream. Considering that he had still been seen in Oakland A’s gear, including a jersey with his name, there was a glimmer of hope.
Kyler Murray sticking with football
But that hope is gone. He addressed a tweet showing him taking batting practice with the A’s, saying “stop it” as it pertains to speculation that he would be heading to baseball. His Cardinals’ pictures are back on Instagram and there is the thought that he is closing in on an extension.
The original tweet was all in good fun. The Cardinals were having a laugh about a trade involving another baseball prospect turned quarterback in Russell Wilson. Mina Kimes, an NFL analyst at ESPN, had to poke some fun back with that image of Murray swinging the bat.
It is fun to dream. It is fun to imagine what Murray could have been on the diamond given enough time. The raw tools were there, but he was going to need to progress slowly through the A’s system. Considering the loss of the 2020 minor league campaign, that development may have taken even longer.
There was also no guarantee that Murray would develop as hoped. His time on the gridiron limited his baseball experience, and while he had plenty of raw tools, they were exactly that. The idea that he would possibly trade away an extension worth tens of millions a year to ride busses to towns that no one had heard of.
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Kyler Murray is putting an end to any Oakland A’s speculation. As much of a longshot as it may have been, it was fun while it lasted.