DeMarco Murray got the money he wanted from his former team’s biggest rival.
Two people familiar with the deal said All-Pro running back DeMarco Murray agreed Thursday to a five-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. Both sources spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Murray hadn’t officially signed the contract.
Wearing a gray suit, white shirt and black tie, Murray arrived at team headquarters with his fiancée, Heidi Mueller, on Thursday afternoon.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Murray helped the Cowboys win the NFC East title last season while rushing for a franchise-record 1,845 yards. He broke the Dallas record held by NFL career rushing leader Emmitt Smith and also set a league mark with eight straight 100-yard games to start the season.
Cowboys star receiver Dez Bryant congratulated Murray via Twitter.
[tweet https://twitter.com/DezBryant/status/576100136813600769 align=’center’]
Murray will replace two-time All-Pro LeSean McCoy, the NFL’s rushing leader in 2013. Coach Chip Kelly traded McCoy to the Buffalo Bills last week in a flurry of stunning moves.
The Eagles appeared to replace McCoy with Frank Gore, but he backed out of a deal and signed with Indianapolis. They agreed to a three-year contract with running back Ryan Mathews on Wednesday, according to two people with knowledge of the deal. But Mathews was in town for a physical Thursday morning and hasn’t signed the contract yet.
Murray played with Bradford at Oklahoma. Bradford told reporters at his introductory news conference that he lobbied his former teammate to join him in Philly.
“I called him. I’ve texted him. I’ve done everything,” Bradford said. “We’ve been in communication and I think if we could somehow land DeMarco, it would be a great pickup.
“Not only is he a great player, but he’s a great person. He’s a really great friend of mine, too. I really think that he could help this ballclub.”
The 27-year-old Murray turned down a four-year, $16 million offer from the Cowboys last fall and went on to become the AP Offensive Player of the Year. He played 16 games for the first time in 2014 after missing games with injuries in each of his first three years.
Thumbnail photo via Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports Images
