The NFL’s rushing leader could officially hit the open market in about five and a half hours, and there are a handful of suitors expected to be in the mix for DeMarco Murray. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), the Cardinals and Jaguars appear to have interest in Murray, and the Buccaneers may be in play as well.
Since Rapoport’s report, however, a pair of local reporters have weighed in, with Kent Somers of Arizona Republic suggesting (via Twitter) that the Cards don’t have real interest in Murray. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Tribune adds (via Twitter) that Tampa Bay has discussed the possibility of signing Murray, but says he has been told Bucs fans shouldn’t get “overly excited” about the possibility.
That leaves the Jaguars, who look like perhaps the strongest outside suitor for Murray, and of course the Cowboys. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported earlier today that the team hadn’t contacted its running back since last week, but Schefter’s ESPN colleague Todd Archer tweets that executive VP Stephen Jones was in touch last night.
Rapoport confirms (via Twitter) that Jones and Murray spoke, with the team making a final push to re-sign him. Archer says it’s not clear what the tenor of the discussion was, or how long it lasted, but the fact that the running back apparently removed all mention of the Cowboys from his Twitter account after the conversation doesn’t seem like a great sign for Dallas.