On Thursday, new Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury was asked about comments he made in October as the coach of Texas Tech about drafting Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray No. 1 overall.

Kingsbury  told Sirius XM radio that he would “stay away from that one right now.”

“I don’t think he’s officially declared yet so we’re not supposed to talk about those prospects yet but it’s an interesting soundbyte, being that that was October and it’s now kind of coming out to be played as if it was yesterday,” he said. 

In October, Kingsbury praised Murray, who is contemplating entering the NFL draft.

“Kyler, I mean, he’s a freak, man,” Kingsbury said at the time. “Kyler is a freak. I’ve followed him since he was a sophomore in high school. Just think the world of him and what he can do on a football field. I’ve never seen one better in high school and he’s starting to show it now at the college level. I don’t have enough good things to say about him. He’s phenomenal.

“I’ve never seen him have a poor outing. Not one, which at quarterback is impossible to do but he’s done it. I’d take him with the first pick of the draft if I could. I know he’s signed up to play baseball but he is a dominant football player and I would take him with the first pick.”

Those comments resurfaced earlier this week, prompting rampant speculation that the Cardinals could draft Murray and trade quarterback Josh Rosen.

In his interview Thursday with Sirius XM radio, Kingsbury said that a lot had changed since his October comments.

“That was in October way before anything like this had transpired,” he said to Mad Dog Sports Radio.

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Original story: Arizona Cardinals get Kyler Murray in NFL draft? Kliff Kingsbury video prompts speculation

Oklahoma quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray is considering entering the NFL draft instead of playing baseball next season, according to a report.

The report sparked speculation linking Murray to the Arizona Cardinals, who have the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL draft.

It was further fueled by some old comments from the new coach of the Cardinals.

A video resurfaced from October when Kliff Kingsbury, then coach of Texas Tech, said he would take Murray with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. 

Kingsbury is now the coach of the Cardinals, who have that top NFL draft pick in 2019.

NFL MOCK DRAFT: Trade options emerging for Arizona Cardinals with No. 1 pick

“Kyler, I mean, he’s a freak, man,” Kingsbury said at the time. “Kyler is a freak. I’ve followed him since he was a sophomore in high school. Just think the world of him and what he can do on a football field. I’ve never seen one better in high school and he’s starting to show it now at the college level. I don’t have enough good things to say about him. He’s phenomenal.

“I’ve never seen him have a poor outing. Not one, which at quarterback is impossible to do but he’s done it. I’d take him with the first pick of the draft if I could. I know he’s signed up to play baseball but he is a dominant football player and I would take him with the first pick.”

RELATED: Decision time for Murray: Football, baseball or both?

Would the Arizona Cardinals draft a quarterback in the first round for the second straight year? It’s unlikely.

Arizona traded up to take Josh Rosen out of UCLA in the first round of the NFL draft last season.

The Cardinals believe Kingsbury can turn Rosen into Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield, two aspiring young NFL quarterbacks that Kingsbury actually helped develop.

MORE: Will Kyler Murray pick NFL over MLB? 

Kingsbury talked about a discussion he had with Rosen upon his hiring at his introductory news conference Wednesday.

“It was brief,” Kingsbury said. “We can’t do a lot of discussion this time of the year, but I just wanted to say, ‘Hey, I’m excited to work with you. I’ve always been a big fan of your talent and what you bring as a quarterback.’

“I also told him I thought the way he handled the end of the season, the toughness and kind of keeping his mouth shut, was what you’re looking for. We can build off that.”

He added of Rosen: “I want to get to know Josh, get to understand what makes him tick. I do think he wants to be a great player in this league. I think he’s very competitive.

“You watch him play this year and some of the shots he took and continued to get up and continued to fight. That says a lot about the young man. So, I’m excited to develop that relationship.”

MORE: Kliff Kingsbury, Josh Rosen now connected for better or worse

Still, speculation about Murray and the Cardinals is rampant.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter talked about the possibility of the Cardinals drafting Murray first overall.

“The one thing about the NFL is that quarterbacks are currency,” Schefter said. “And I can tell you this: Last year, when the Cleveland Browns had the first and fourth-overall picks, at one point in time — and I know people will be skeptical of this — they considered taking quarterbacks at one AND four, and then auctioning off one of the quarterbacks that they liked less.

“So if you’re the Arizona Cardinals and you like Kyler Murray that much — also, imagine him going No. 1 overall — but maybe there’s a scenario where you get him and you auction off Josh Rosen. If that’s what the new [coach] likes, if that’s what he wants, why would you not acquiesce to that when you could get a king’s ransom for Josh Rosen, who some teams really like. Again, we’re getting things started here really early, and really putting things out there, but it’s not implausible that that scenario could unfold.”

MORE: QB’s decision makes NFL draft much more interesting for Arizona Cardinals

Cards Wire’s Jess Root threw some water on the conversation, writing that Murray on the Cardinals made no sense.

“Leaving aside the fact that the organization is bullish about Rosen and his future as a franchise quarterback and the fact they gave up draft assets just a year ago to be able to draft him, trading Rosen is financial doom,” he wrote. “His contract is fully guaranteed. If the Cardinals were to trade him or cut him, not only would it not save them any money against the salary cap, they would lose nearly $10.4 million in cap space to do it.

“That’s not something an NFL team can do and create or sustain any sort of success.

“Yes, it is something fun to throw around on social media. It doesn’t actually work in the real world of the NFL.

“Some might say the Cardinals already made a crazy move to hire Kingsbury. But to trade Rosen after only one year would be crazy dumb.”

All of this could be moot if Murray doesn’t even enter the NFL draft. The Oklahoma quarterback has signed with the Oakland Athletics and could have a promising career in baseball. 

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