DeMarco Murray Likely Headed To Free Agency
One of the bigger questions hovering over Valley Ranch and the Dallas Cowboys this offseason is the future of running back DeMarco Murray. The NFL’s leading rusher is currently a free agent and appears destined to hit the open market when NFL free agency officially begins on March 10th.
CBS Sports’ NFL Insider Jason La Canfora confirmed this during a radio interview on the Dan Patrick show on Tuesday.
"“As I monitored the Murray situation through the combine, the read I got on that is, look, (The Cowboys) are not going to set the market for DeMarco Murray. They’ve made that clear. And we are far enough along now with free agency two weeks away, that they are not going to bid against themselves,”La Canfora told Dan Patrick. “DeMarco Murray’s one of these players who’s going to have to go out there and find out what his market is. March the 12th. Is he a $6 million guy? Is he a $8 million guy? Is he a $7 million guy? And how many teams are really bidding against each other for him and then Jerry (Jones) will have the opportunity to, if he wants to trump all that, he can. And I think that’s how this decision gets made.”"
The Cowboys allegedly made Murray a four-year contract offer back in October that would pay him more than any free-agent running back earned in 2014.
Running back Chris Johnson signed the biggest free agent contract last season, a two-year deal worth $8 million with the New York Jets. So, the educated guess is that the Cowboys’ offer to Murray was larger than $4 million per year, $16 million total. But apparently, that wasn’t enough.
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At 27 years old, this could be Murray’s last chance at a big pay day. But the running back position has been extremely devalued in the NFL, with only eight players at the position currently under contract earning more than $4 million per season. But does Murray deserve to be in that class?
Based only off his 2014 totals, the answer is a resounding yes. Last season, Murray recorded 1,845 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns helping Dallas to an NFC East crown, an undefeated road record and their first playoff win since 2009.
But Murray has also missed 11 games in his first three seasons in Dallas due to injury. That’s nearly an entire season. And that fact is a real concern for a player who carried the football a whopping 392 times in 2014.
So, it appears now the Cowboys will allow Murray to test the market in order to help determine his value. And according to La Canfora, that’s mainly because the Dallas Cowboys have options beyond the fifth-year running back.
"“What is his price point? What is the market truly barring? And then is he willing to say you know what, we got the best out of him. He’s been hurt before. We maximized him for this last year. But there is potentially Adrian Peterson out there. There are a couple of running backs who maybe get drafted in the first round. And we do have the best offensive line in the league in our determination. So we can fill that role.”"
On top of the draft and the possible acquisition of Peterson, the Cowboys could also look to free agency themselves to find a cheaper replacement for Murray. For instance, New Orleans running back Mark Ingram would be a prime candidate to do so, and has been rumored for years as a possible great fit in Dallas.
Bottom line is: Murray is most likely going to find a team in free agency willing to pay his inflated price tag. If the Cowboys are unwilling to match or even exceed that deal, Dallas still has plenty of options in order to find a running back who could excel behind the best offensive line in football.