DeMarco Murray turns down 4-year offer from Cowboys
DeMarco Murray reportedly turned down a low-ball four-year offer from the Dallas Cowboys.
With the playoffs behind them like a Dez Bryant incomplete pass, the Dallas Cowboys have turned their sights toward getting the band back together for a hopeful playoff run next season.
Thanks to Jerry Jones’ eagerness, head coach Jason Garrett is back for the next five years after a contract extension. Next up on their list? All-Pro running back DeMarco Murray, but according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the two sides are not currently seeing eye-to-eye as the back has reportedly turned down a four-year, $16 million offer from the franchise.
"With Bryant under Jones’ thumb and coach Jason Garrett’s services under contract for the next five years, All-Pro tailback DeMarco Murray’s future is the biggest question mark in Dallas.Murray insists he’s not worried about his future even if there’s no sign of common ground between his camp and the Cowboys.At last check, Dallas had a four-year deal worth slightly more than $16 million on the table, according to Rapoport."
You don’t need to be a rocket scientist or NFL expert to know the Cowboys are low-balling Murray. This past season, no running back carried a load similar to Murray, who produced 1,845 rushing yards on 392 attempts, the most carries in the league by a +80 margin (next closest was Pittsburgh‘s Le’Veon Bell at 312) and the most carries by a NFL player since Larry Johnson in 2006 (416 — the most ever).
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At $4 million per year (or something in that ballpark), Murray would rank as the 8th highest paid running back in the NFL behind Carolina’s Jonathan Stewart. For a back who was arguably the best player on a team who was a botched call away from a championship appearance, it’s easy to see why Murray declined Jerry Jones’ offer.
From the Cowboys perspective, they’ve approached the situation in the best way possible, though they risk deterring Murray from wanting to re-sign with the team. If there’s one position that doesn’t require a high-scale pay to be effective, it’s the running back position. The amount of money that Murray is likely to demand could be better used to improve other flaws on the team, mainly the defense.
There’s also the possibility of adding Adrian Peterson, a Dallas, Texas native, in the off-season if the Minnesota Vikings choose to move on from the troubled former Most Valuable Player.
With the off-season right around the corner, this’ll be an interesting storyline to keep watch of. Without Murray, the Cowboys don’t top the NFC East, but if Jerry Jones doesn’t see any urgency in paying his running back (and someone else does), we could see a changing of the guard in the NFL’s most interesting division.