On the surface, LeSean McCoy and DeMarco Murray shouldn't have any connection other than playing the same position and in the NFC East together. But that all changed after the Philadelphia Eagles shipped McCoy off to the Buffalo Bills.
Murray is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the Dallas Cowboys opted to use the franchise tag on wide receiver Dez Bryant instead. Jerry Jones likely felt comfortable doing this because he envisioned a free agent landscape that wasn't so lucrative for running backs. And although McCoy didn't change teams in the same manner, his deal may have proven Jones right.
"Philadelphia has sent Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy to Buffalo for linebacker Kiko Alonso. The Eagles are picking up a young player with tremendous upside and one who played for Chip Kelly at Oregon. But it's just as clear that Philadelphia wanted to dump McCoy's salary," David Moore of The Dallas Morning News wrote.
McCoy has three years and $45 million left on his current deal. He was scheduled to count $11.95 million against the salary cap in 2015, the second highest mark for a running back behind Adrian Peterson.
McCoy is coming off what some may consider a down season (though he still finished third in the NFL in rushing with 1,319 yards). But some of that has to do with poor health along the offensive line for much of the season. As Moore notes, this move was likely financially motivated. Running backs are more replaceable than ever, and that does not bode well for Murray on the open market.
"Did the Eagles make a mistake, or do they reflect current thought around the league on the value of running backs?" Moore wrote. "Will the wealth of backs in this draft depress the offers that Murray and other veteran backs can expect to receive in free agency?"
