This story appears in the April 22-19, 2019, issue of Sports Illustrated. For more great storytelling and in-depth analysis, subscribe to the magazine—and get up to 94% off the cover price. Click here for more.
Kyler Murray knew the questions were coming—reps from his talent marketing agency, WME, had prepped the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and 2018 Athletics first-round pick before a Super Bowl media tour in early February. While Murray had declared for the NFL draft after his junior season at Oklahoma, he had not yet ruled out reporting to A’s spring training two weeks later, and it was widely accepted that a quarterback couldn’t play both sports.