Eagles sign DeMarco Murray to 5-year, $42M deal

Free agent running back DeMarco Murray called his own number and phoned Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly to set up a visit Thursday in response to the Dallas Cowboys failing to meet his contract demands.

By the time Murray touched down in Philadelphia, free agent running back Ryan Mathews passed a physical and nailed down a three-year, $12 million deal with the Eagles.

However, that didn’t stop the Eagles from signing the former Bishop Gorman star to a five-year deal. The team didn’t announce the terms, but multiple media outlets reported that the $42 million deal includes $21 million guaranteed. That is as much and possibly more than running back LeSean McCoy received from the Buffalo Bills after he was traded out of Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Murray maintained that the decision to leave Dallas wasn’t strictly about the money.

“I felt this was a great opportunity for me to win a Super Bowl,” he said in a press conference.

Including third-down back Darren Sproles, the Eagles are scheduled to pay the impressive collection of running backs on their roster more than $15 million next season.

Murray led the NFL in rushing last season and was named Offensive Player of the Year. He had 1,854 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. He also caught 57 passes and, including the postseason, had 511 total touches.

The Eagles traded McCoy to the Bills, and coach Chip Kelly said the move was driven by finances. McCoy was set to earn $10.2 million in 2015.

The Cowboys offered Murray a four-year, $16 million deal in January. Murray reportedly envisioned himself as a $9 million-per-year back. According to NFL Network, the Cowboys offered up to $6 million per season plus incentives.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the salary cap was to blame for losing Murray.

“We have great appreciation for his skills, and if there was no salary cap in place, DeMarco would be a Cowboy,” Jones said in a statement. “This came down to an allocation of dollars within the management of the salary cap.”

Murray said of the Cowboys, “I’m sure their feelings are hurt and I apologize for that. I’m ready to move on and glad to be part of this (Philadelphia) organization.”

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders also were interested in Murray.

Murray was a college road-game roommate of new Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford, who said Wednesday he would do anything he could to get his Oklahoma teammate to Philadelphia.

“Sam’s a great friend of mine, like a brother to me,” Murray said. “It was a huge influence once I heard that he was getting traded here. He immediately texted me and told me to jump on board, let’s go win it. I’m excited to get back with him, he’s a close friend of mine, and I’m excited to play with him again him.”

Running behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, Murray averaged 4.7 yards per carry in 2014 and played through a broken finger that required surgery.

The Eagles were dogged by injuries, and started 10 different offensive line combinations last season while also juggling quarterbacks after Nick Foles — traded Tuesday to St. Louis for Bradford — went down for the season with a broken collarbone. The Eagles released offensive guard Todd Herremans and were reportedly trying to deal Pro Bowl guard Evan Mathis.

McCoy, who led the NFL in rushing in 2013 (314 carries, 1,607 yards, nine touchdowns), Kelly’s first season with the Eagles, had 312 carries for 1,319 yards and five touchdowns last season.

In Dallas, Murray was the clear No. 1 back, and his backups were largely unsuccessful lightening his workload. The Cowboys’ offensive line includes three first-round picks.

“Obviously, there is emotion involved in these decisions, but it is critical that there be must be discipline involved as well,” Jones said. “If it were a question of having an open checkbook with no salary cap constraints, we all know things would have worked out differently.”

Clearly, he won’t be carrying the entire load for the Eagles with Mathews in the fold. Philadelphia still has Sproles on the roster, and Kelly is high on restricted free agent Chris Polk.

Murray said he spoke with Kelly by phone Wednesday.

“We talked schemes,” Murray said. “We talked sports science. We talked about the city. We talked about the things (Kelly) wanted to get accomplished, and we had a lot of similar interests. He was all about winning. He was all about just being a guy. At the end of the day, he’s a great coach.”