Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has issued a statement regarding the contract signed by former Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray with the Philadelphia Eagles. Jones thanked Murray for his contribution to the team and wished him well in Philadelphia. The full statement is below:
Statement from Jerry Jones on DeMarco Murray:
We are very grateful to DeMarco Murray for his contributions to the Dallas Cowboys. He is a quality person, a very good football player, and a player that we wanted to keep.
We have great appreciation for his skills, and if there was no salary cap in place, DeMarco would be a Cowboy. This came down to an allocation of dollars within the management of the salary cap.
Obviously there is emotion involved in these decisions, but it is critical that there be must be discipline involved as well. If it were a question of having an open checkbook with no salary cap constraints, we all know things would have worked out differently.
We have recently made significant commitments to top players who are currently on the team, specifically at key positions such as quarterback, left tackle and wide receiver, and we were comfortable with the offer that we made to DeMarco to include him in that structure.
These are difficult decisions that are part of the NFL. They are decisions that take into account the entire team, the current economic structure of the team, and the financial concerns for the short and long term future of the team.
At the end of the day, this is about finding the best way to collectively fit all of the individual pieces together, in terms of talent, offensive players, defensive players and dollars—under the salary cap structure—that gives you the best chance to have a championship team.
Jones drafted Murray in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft at pick number 71. He spent the past four seasons in Dallas where he racked up 4526 yards on 934 touches and 28 touchdowns. Murray missed some games due to injury early in his career but played all 16 games for the Cowboys in 2014. He put up spectacular numbers rushing for 1845 yards on 392 carries and 13 touchdowns.
Read Jerry Jones’ official statement on DeMarco Murray signing with the Eagles http://t.co/MoTvzFDumF pic.twitter.com/y9Q5SLPZry
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) March 13, 2015
Salute to Jones for handling this situation so well. Stay tuned to Pro Player Insiders for further updates as NFL free agency continues.
