National Football League

DeMarco Murray is cashing in despite devalued running back market

Published Mar. 12, 2015 5:23 p.m. ET

Alex Marvez

Plato is the one who coined the phrase "beauty lies in the eye of the beholder."

The same goes for NFL running backs. DeMarco Murray is living proof.

In the span of less than 48 hours, the NFL's reigning rushing champion went from receiving tepid free-agent feelers to reportedly becoming one of the league's highest-paid backs.

This can happen when franchises perceive the position's value in far different fashion.

Dallas had interest in re-signing Murray but only at the right price. The Cowboys' offer not only didn't sit well with Murray. It also created the opportunity for another suitor to swipe Murray away from "Big D" with big bucks.

Philadelphia is doing exactly that. Murray reportedly procured a five-year, $42 million contract Thursday with a whopping $21 million guaranteed, which is a figure far greater than what Dallas was willing to tender.

Murray now becomes the latest top rusher to fatten his wallet. Seattle's Marshawn Lynch and Buffalo's LeSean McCoy recently nabbed eight-digit paydays for 2015 after restructuring their contracts amid the possibility of retirement and/or a holdout. Mark Ingram received $7.6 million guaranteed to re-sign with New Orleans before free agency opened and ex-San Francisco standout Frank Gore landed a nice deal from Indianapolis with $7.5 million guaranteed after snubbing the Eagles (leading to their pursuit of Murray).

All of this is great news for a position where jumbo contracts have become increasingly sparse in recent seasons. But to think running backs will again be held in the same financial reverence league-wide in the future as others like quarterback, wide receiver, cornerback or defensive end is unrealistic.

More than half of the NFL's top 50 rushers last year (excluding quarterbacks) are either still playing under their rookie contracts or were scrapheap roster additions currently ineligible for unrestricted free agency. The odds of most receiving lucrative contracts when eligible to hit the market are long. The shelf life of the position is just too short, especially when it's relatively easy to restock the cupboard with fresh legs from the college ranks. The 2015 class led by Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon and Georgia's Todd Gurley is regarded as particularly strong.

In previous generations, running backs were always a lock to get drafted in the first round because of their value to the offense. Not anymore. The first one selected in 2014 was Bishop Sankey by Tennessee with the No. 54 overall pick in the second round, marking the latest a running back has ever been chosen. The first RB off the board in 2013 was Gio Bernard by Cincinnati at No. 37.

Consider, too, what has transpired with other free-agent running backs this offseason. Coming off a 1,266-yard season, Justin Forsett re-signed in Baltimore on Thursday with a modest three-year, $9 million deal. Rushers with 1,000-yard seasons in their past like C.J. Spiller and Reggie Bush remain unsigned and may ultimately become bargains with teams not biting yet because of asking price and health concerns. Such prudence is being shown even though most teams have ample room under the salary cap.

There also will be some franchises that continue to prefer a committee approach or two-headed monster with modest individual salaries for their ground game so money can be spent on other areas. The best example is New England. The Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX with an ensemble cast that included a late-season pickup (LaGarrette Blount) as the leading rusher and a player already gone in free agency to the New York Giants (Shane Vereen) catching a team-high 11 passes.

When it comes to winning a Lombardi Trophy in 2015, only time will tell whether Philadelphia or Dallas moved closer to that goal with their handling of Murray.

The most likely replacement options for the Cowboys are adding a more modestly priced veteran, selecting a running back early in the draft to pair with backup Joseph Randle or pursuing a trade with Minnesota for Peterson, who would come with an even larger 2014 payday than what Dallas was willing to pay Murray.

As for what Philadelphia is doing, who knows?

The Eagles had a rusher more durable and productive the past four seasons in McCoy but traded him last week to Buffalo for linebacker Kiko Alonso. Philadelphia, which pulled off the NFL's boldest offseason move when acquiring oft-injured Sam Bradford from St. Louis for fellow quarterback Nick Foles, then made another head-scratching transaction Thursday when signing another veteran running back along with Murray -- San Diego's Ryan Mathews -- to a three-year contract even with Darren Sproles already in the fold at a $3 million base salary.

How the Eagles handle this full backfield isn't Murray's concern, though. He is getting the contract desired even if forced to leave Dallas. That makes Philadelphia a beautiful sight to see.