Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was obviously right about choosing football over baseball.
Murray, 24, has just accepted a lucrative over $200 million contract extension.
Financial details weren’t officially announced, but ESPN reported that the deal was completed for $230.5 million over five years. The pact would include a $160 million guarantee in the event of an injury, while an amount of $105 million would be fully insured regardless of the reason.
After being selected by the Cardinals as the overall pick of the NFL draft in April 2019, Murray is logically tied to the Arizona club through the end of the 2028 season.
“I’ve always given 100 percent for the Cardinals and will continue to do so,” Murray said earlier this year when asked about his future in Arizona.
“I’m not really worried,” added the quarterback, quoted on the team’s website.
Recall that the athlete had previously been a first-round pick and ninth overall in Major League Baseball during the 2018 auction. The Oakland Athletics then gave his name, knowing his future might be in the NFL . To date, the University of Oklahoma product remains the only first-round choice in both drafts. Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders are among the few players to have developed as strongly in Major League Baseball as they have in the NFL, but they had not benefited from such a pick rank in either auction.
Among the richest
With an average annual salary of $46.1 million, Murray would be the second highest-paid center in the NFL, behind Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers ($50.3 million).
Completing the top 5 richest quarterbacks are Deshaun Watson ($46 million), Patrick Mahomes ($45 million) and Josh Allen ($43 million) from the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Bills Buffalo.
On the field, Murray completed 69.2% of his passes for 3,787 total yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last year. He added 423 yards and five majors on the ground. He has already been invited to the Pro Bowl twice.
The highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL (based on their average annual salary):
1 – Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers ($50.3 million)
2 – Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals ($46.1M)
3 – Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns ($46 million)
4 – Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs ($45 million)
5 – Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills ($43 million)