The Dallas Cowboys made their first moves of the offseason on Tuesday to get the ball rolling on an important free agency stint. The Cowboys announced that head coach Jason Garrett had agreed to a contract extension as his deal expired at the end of the first successful season in a long time for Dallas. Now, the Cowboys can shift their focus to other players on the roster needing new deals, but the first round of negotiations is not going as planned.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the Cowboys and DeMarco Murray began contract negotiations on Tuesday, but the running back turned down the team's first offer. Rapoport reported that Murray rejected the offer of a four-year, $16 million contract and the running back wants more. Murray has the stats to earn a big deal. He touched the ball 497 times this season while putting up 1,845 yards in the regular season and another 198 yards in two playoff games. At just 26, Murray's best running days are ahead of him and he intends to get paid as such.
At this point, all signs point to Murray hitting the free agent market and seeing what his value is. The running back market is generally very weak as most players only earn a two-year contract at best. The running back says he has no concerns about free agency and his future in the league.
"I'm not worried about my future," Murray said, via ESPN.com. "I just lost a big game, the biggest game of my life. Just not worried about it right now. Just relax with my family and get away from it for a little bit."
The Cowboys simply cannot offer Murray much more than what they already put on the table. The team is dealing with Tony Romo's contract which is already dipping deep into the salary cap funds. The Cowboys also have to re-sign Dez Bryant this offseason which is a major priority. His contract is expected to eat up a good chunk of space as well. Dallas also just added the five-year, $30 million contract for Garrett.
The Cowboys are aware that they have options if Murray heads elsewhere. Team owner Jerry Jones will not hesitate to call about Adrian Peterson who has expressed plenty of desire to play in Dallas. He did not play all last season and would have fresh legs for the new season. Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar are on the roster along with Ryan Williams who signed a future contract.