DeMarco Murray Contract: Latest News and Rumors on Negotiations with Cowboys

DeMarco Murray has spent the first quarter of the 2014 season emerging as the best running back in football. It appears that the Dallas Cowboys are prepared to pay him as such.

Or at least the market value of a free-agent running back.    

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Dallas has offered Murray a four-year contract extension that would pay him better than any free-agent running back from this offseason:

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#Cowboys have no qualms about DeMarco Murray as their franchise RB. Offered him a 4-year deal worth more than any RB got in ’14 free agency

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 5, 2014"

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk also weighed in on the negotiations between Murray and the Cowboys, saying the talks were preliminary and no deal was imminent.

Only one free-agent running back (Rashad Jennings) received a four-year contract this spring. The highest per-year salary given to a player at the position was $4 million, which the Jets gave Chris Johnson as part of a two-year, $8 million deal.

As Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk points out, though, Murray has a far higher value than any of those players:

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As they should. Murray's way better than any 2014 FA RB. MT @RapSheet Cowboys offered Murray 4-year deal worth more than any RB got in ’14.

— Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) October 5, 2014"

Murray, 26, will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. The former Oklahoma star is in the midst of his best professional season. He leads the NFL with 534 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He is the only position player league-wide with at least 100 yards and a touchdown in each of the first four weeks, earning him NFC Offensive Player of the Month honors.

“I feel fine,” Murray, who has carried the ball 99 times already this season, said, per Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. “I feel fine and I take care of myself throughout the week. My body feels good.” 

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

Murray has never played in more than eight consecutive games. He has missed at least two games in each of his first three seasons and 11 total.

While they would love to keep him around long-term, the Cowboys have to be careful with how they use their cap space. Dallas was forced to release DeMarcus Ware this offseason due to cap restraints and have one of the league's most top-heavy rosters due to the high cost of its stars. With wide receiver Dez Bryant also due for a massive extension sooner rather than later, Jerry Jones might be forced into a difficult decision.

That could mean that Murray's value tops out at 2014 free-agent value in Dallas, while it's assuredly higher elsewhere.

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