5 NFL superstars who could've played a different sport ft. Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray
The NFL has always been filled with some of the best athletes in the world. Many players haven't just excelled at football, but could have played other sports professionally as well if they chose to.
Looking back at the multi-sport athletes that went on to become NFL superstars, a common theme is quarterbacks who were formerly baseball players with major league talent. Here are five such players from NFL history that fit this description.
5 NFL stars who could have played a different professional sport
#5 - John Elway
John Elway was selected in two different MLB Drafts, demonstrating his ability as a professional baseball prospect as a shortstop.
He was selected in the 18th round of the 1979 MLB Draft before improving all the way to the second round of the 1981 Draft, when he was selected by the New York Yankees. He played one season in their minor league system.
Elway was a top rated prospect in both football and baseball while attending Stanford University, playing both quarterback and shortstop. He used his multi-sport talent to his advantage when he was selected by the Baltimore Colts with the first overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft.
He threatened to leave the Colts to play baseball if they didn't trade him and it worked, as he landed with the Denver Broncos, where he would win two Super Bowls on his way to the Hall of Fame.
#4 - Tom Brady
Montreal drafted him in the 18th round back in 1995. His baseball card is selling for $10. Brady’s rookie football card sold for $3.1 million. @TomBrady
Oh how things could have been so different had Tom Brady decided on baseball 😱 Montreal drafted him in the 18th round back in 1995. His baseball card is selling for $10. Brady’s rookie football card sold for $3.1 million. @TomBrady https://t.co/OFZol06QCW
Tom Brady was selected in the 18th round of the 1995 MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos out of high school to play catcher.
Brady declined to join the team and instead attended the University of Michigan, where he switched his primary sport to football. The rest is history, as Tom Brady went on to have arguably the greatest career of any NFL player of all time.