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Kyler Murray underwhelmed by Bryce Harper's $330M contract

By Alex Butler
Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray speaks to reporters at the NFL scouting combine Friday in Indianapolis. Photo by Alex Butler/UPI
Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray speaks to reporters at the NFL scouting combine Friday in Indianapolis. Photo by Alex Butler/UPI

INDIANAPOLIS, March 1 (UPI) -- Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray was underwhelmed by Bryce Harper's new $330M contract, citing NFL quarterbacks who make more money annually.

Murray was asked about Harper's deal at the NFL scouting combine Friday in Indianapolis. Harper signed the 13-year behemoth pact Thursday with the Philadelphia Phillies. Murray was picked in the first round of the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft, but decided in February to choose the NFL instead.

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"How much money is that per year?" Murray asked.

Harper's deal averages more than $25 million annually.

"OK," Murray said. "Everybody makes a big deal about it because it says $300 million," Murray said. "There are quarterbacks making more money than him a year."

Unlike NFL contracts, Harper's pact is fully guaranteed. It also doesn't include any opt-outs and has a no-trade clause.

Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo, Matthew Stafford, Derek Carr and Drew Brees are the only NFL quarterbacks whose contracts average at least $25 million annually. All of those quarterbacks are past their rookie deals.

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Murray, 21, is likely to get a little more than $4 million annually if he is the No. 10 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, based on the average salaries of previous No. 10 overall selections Josh Rosen and Patrick Mahomes.

Baker Mayfield was drafted No. 1 overall in 2018 and he makes just over $8 million annually in his rookie pact. Murray probably would be looking at an annual salary of just over $7 million if he is picked from No 2 to No. 5 overall.

The Oakland Athletics and Murray agreed to a $4.6 million bonus before he played for the Sooners last season and decided to select the NFL over MLB.

Because Murray still was considered a raw baseball prospect by many experts, it would have likely taken him some time to work his way up to the Big League level and earn a more lucrative contract.

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