No More Football for Irish WR Samardzija

[CardinalChris]

He's one of those receivers who could go late first to mid third. No telling. This was probably the right choice for him.

 

[john h]

Notre Dame wide receiver Jeff Samardzija has decided to forego a pro football career for that of a baseball pitcher -- and he'll be well compensated for it.

Samardzija signed a five-year deal Friday to play baseball full-time, starting in the Chicago Cubs' minor league system.

ESPN.com's Wayne Drehs reports the deal is worth $8 million, guaranteed. A news conference was scheduled for Friday afternoon.

When the Cubs drafted Samardzija in the fifth round last June, giving him a $250,000 signing bonus, he intended to play both football and baseball professionally.

Last season, Samardzija pitched for Class A Boise and Peoria, where he finished a combined 1-2 with a 2.70 earned run average. He struck out 17 and walked 12 in 30 innings.

He is expected to start the season in Class A Peoria, where Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg will be the manager

He signed for 5 years for 10 mil with the Cubs having a two year option after that. He also received a 1.5 or 2 mil signing bonus and cannot play football. He was a projected 1st rounder in the upcoming NFL draft. 26-6 in college with a 98 mph fast-ball. Set an all-time catching record for a TE while at Notra Dame. As a Cubs fan I am ecstatic. I see him in the minors a max of 2 year and a future #1 pitcher. Cubs got a lot of heat when they first drafted him with their 5th overall pick because he wanted to play both football and baseball ala Bo Jackson.

 

[Matt L]

98mph? I had no idea that he threw that hard. If that is the case, he definitely made the best decision. Because of his size and the velocity that he throws at, he will probably always have some team willing to give him a shot in professional baseball.

 

['08 Cubs]

sweet

Go Cubs!

 

[ajcardfan]

Seriously, this is a no-brainer for him. He made the right choice by a mile-and-a-half. Has anyone here noticed the contracts MLB throws around?