Despite Heisman Trophy-winning Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray's firm declaration that he's committed to football going forward, the Oakland Athletics are not giving up on the player they chose with the ninth overall selection in last summer's MLB Draft.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reports that the A's still believe they can entice Murray with a compensation package greater than anything on offer from an NFL team, even if Murray were to be taken first overall. There are no financial restrictions on what the A's can offer Murray, whereas NFL rookie contracts are on a limited scale.

The 21-year-old Murray had already received a $4.66 million signing bonus from the A's that will need to be repaid once he signs an NFL contract.

The A's also believe that Murray's gung-ho attitude towards football could also be at least partially put on so as to not jeopardize his draft stock.

Most mock drafts have Murray as a first-round pick, vying with Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins to be the first pivot off the board.

An outfielder, Baseball Prospectus rated Murray as the No. 101 prospect in the MLB heading into the 2019 season.