Current NFL Players Who Could Have Played in MLB
With Super Bowl LI on the horizon, let’s take a look at current NFL players who could have played in MLB instead.
Growing up, many athletes play multiple sports before officially dedicating themselves to a specific sport in college. Playing two sports in college takes a tremendous amount of skill and dedication. For the most part, athletes choose the sport they most want to pursue professionally.
Not every athlete sticks to one sport, though. Players like Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders and Brian Jordan played both baseball and football professionally.
Playing professionally for more than one league is an impressive feat. A bunch of active football players had the chance to play in MLB but chose to throw the pigskin instead of a baseball.
In honor of the big game, here’s a list of some NFL players who decided to play football over baseball.
Eric Decker
One of the top wide receivers in the AFC, Eric Decker had a chance at an MLB career but pursued football instead. He played both baseball and football at the University of Minnesota.
Decker, 29, played in the outfield for Minnesota. Both the Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins drafted Decker in 2008 and 2009, respectively. But Decker decided to catch footballs downfield instead of baseballs in the outfield.
Choosing football over baseball worked out well for Decker. In his seven-year career, he has 385 receptions, 5,253 yards and 52 touchdowns. Decker played with the Denver Broncos for four seasons and has played three seasons for the New York Jets.
Typically baseball players make more money than football players. That’s clearly the case with Decker. In 2014, one of the best receivers in the league signed a five-year, $36.25 million deal with the Jets.
Before the controversial kneeling during the National Anthem, Colin Kaepernick was a great high school pitcher. The Chicago Cubs drafted Kaepernick in the 43rd round back in the 2009 draft.
But instead of playing professional baseball, Kaepernick chose to play college football at the University of Nevada, Reno. The San Francisco 49ers drafted him in the 2011 NFL Draft.
The 29-year-old quarterback’s football career started out great. Kaepernick took the 49ers to the Super Bowl in just his second year in the league, but his team lost to the Baltimore Ravens.
In 2014, San Francisco signed Kaepernick to a six-year extension that could reach up to $126 million. Since signing and the team going separate ways with former head coach Jim Harbaugh, Kaepernick has struggled.
Kaepernick has 12,271 passing yards, 2,300 rushing yards and 85 total touchdowns in six seasons. But after back-to-back down years, the 49ers might cut Colin Kaepernick in the offseason.
The 49ers quarterback gained a lot of attention during the 2016 preseason when he protested the National Anthem by kneeling. His decision sparked an outrage from NFL fans all over.
Tom Brady
Yes, one of the quarterbacks in Super Bowl LI and one of the best to ever play football had an opportunity to play professional baseball. In 1995, the Montreal Expos drafted Brady as a catcher in the 18th round out of high school.
Like Kaepernick, Brady decided to attend college and play football instead of professional baseball. Brady played college football at the University of Michigan. The New England Patriots drafted Brady in the sixth round (199th overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft.
Clearly, Brady made the right decision. At 39 years old, Brady is a four-time Super Bowl champion, a three-time Super Bowl MVP and a two-time league MVP. He obviously has a chance for another championship in today’s Super Bowl.
With a decorated career of success, Brady owns numerous playoff records and is closing in on career records as well. It’s highly unlikely that Brady would have had that much success in MLB.
Russell Wilson
The Seattle Seahawks quarterback already has a Super Bowl championship early in his career, but he also had a shot at playing professional baseball too.
Out of high school, the Baltimore Orioles selected Wilson in the 41st round of the 2007 MLB Draft. Wilson decided to attend North Carolina State instead and played there for three years, and then played his senior season at the University of Wisconsin.
Wilson, 28, played baseball while at N.C. State and earned himself a fourth-round selection by the Colorado Rockies in the 2010 MLB Draft. He played with their Class A team in 2010 and 2011. In 2013, the Texas Rangers acquired the second baseman and he attended Spring Training with the team in 2014 and 2015. He never played in a major league regular season game.
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In 2013, the Seahawks drafted Wilson in the third round of the NFL Draft. He quickly became a starter for the club and the team has yet to miss the playoffs with him at quarterback.