Jeff Samardzija was a first round prospect if he had chosen to seek a career in football in 2007, but he instead became a Major League Baseball player. 

Samardzija was slow to develop as a pitcher, but made his first All-Star team this season, posting a 2.78 ERA in 19 starts with the Chicago Cubs and Oakland A's.

The Chicago Bears pursued Samardzija as recently as two seasons ago when trying to find a No. 2 receiver. Samardzija's agent continued to received calls up from NFL teams up until a year ago.

“We got back to the Parker Meridian in the city and I remember calling my agent and being like, I think we need to start setting something up with NFL teams and getting some workouts,” Samardzija said about a low point in his career in 2010. “I really wasn’t getting much better as a pitcher. The age was getting up on me; I was 25. But he talked me down, told me to sleep on it.

“I got back to the field and that love for the game took over and I never really let that thought resurface.”