Steve Keim, the general manager of the Arizona Cardinals, casts doubt on the baseball future of Kyler Murray by dismissing the Oakland Athletics after Murray and the Cardinals have agreed to an extension of their agreement. The nearly $230 million five-year contract will keep the star quarterback away from professional baseball for the time being.
During his press conference with the Cardinals, Murray was asked about his baseball future. General manager Steve Keim remarked that the Oakland Athletics, the team with Murray’s major-league rights, has an embarrassingly small salary. This should put an end to Murray’s chances.
Murray was asked about his baseball future during a press conference with the Cardinals. The Athletics, the team holding Murray’s major-league rights, have an incredibly low salary, according to Keim.
“Have you guys seen the payroll of the Oakland A’s versus his contract?” Keim interjected.
When Murray heard the question, he chuckled and replied “I’m where I want to be,” the QB said.
Sources told USA TODAY Sports that Murray’s contract is worth $230,5 million, which includes $160 million in guarantees.
The Athletics’ compensation is low compared to what Murray can get from signing up with the Cardinals this year. He is expected to earn an average annual salary of $46,1 million a year, making him the NFL’s second highest-paid player. Meanwhile, the A’s only paid Murray around $48.5 million salary in total during his stint with the MLB franchise.
Murray’s career
While playing center field for Oklahoma in 2018, Murray batted.296 with 10 home runs, 47 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases. The A’s selected him with the No. 9 overall choice in the 2018 MLB draft.
In the autumn of 2018, Murray was named the starting quarterback for the Sooners. He led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff and was awarded the Heisman Trophy for his outstanding performance on the football field.
Following his excellent performance on the field, the Cardinals drafted Murray as the NFL’s top draft pick in 2019. In his debut season, he was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and has since been selected to two Pro Bowls.
In a show of gratitude, the Cardinals made him the highest-paid player in the team’s history on Thursday. He has a contract extension till 2028.
“I’m thankful. It’s a blessing,” Murray said Friday. “For me, it’s always been able fulfilling my promise, which is one day hopefully bringing a championship to this organization. I’m a firm believer in bringing that here.”
Second-worst NFC West GM
Both Keim and Kliff Kingsbury, the head coach, earned contract extensions through the 2027 season in March. Along with this, for the first time since the 2015 season, the Cardinals made the playoffs in 2021.
Keim has been with the Cardinals organization for a total of 24 years and is currently entering his tenth season as general manager of the team. Meanwhile, Kingsbury is going into his fourth season as head coach for the organization.
Patrick Daugherty of NBC Sports graded every NFL general manager. Keim was ranked 21st out of 27 general managers, one position higher than the Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider, who was rated the worst in the NFC West.
Daugherty noted the team’s faults in their wild-card defeat to the Rams. DeAndre Hopkins’ season-ending injury in Week 14 hampered the Cardinals’ wide receiver depth. J.J. Watt. As for the first-round draft picks Isaiah Simmons and Zaven Collins, they didn’t produce enough for Arizona.