Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo said that he wanted his team to keep running back DeMarco Murray and he was actually willing to take a pay cut to make it happen.
Romo said in a recent interview that he wants to continue playing with Murray, who signed a five-year deal worth $42 million with the Philadelphia Eagles after not getting the deal he wanted from the Cowboys.
Romo said that he believes the Cowboys also wanted Murray to stay, but had no other choice because their front office executives want to make sure that they will have financial flexibility moving forward.
"I wanted DeMarco back, obviously. But at the same time, the team allocates money to positions and things of that nature," Romo told the Cowboys' official website. "I think they wanted him back, and obviously a team came in and gave him a great deal. And he deserves to make that decision, too."
Murray, who had a league-best 1,845 rushing yards for 13 touchdowns last season, reportedly received a four-year, $24 million offer from the Cowboys, but the 27-year-old felt he deserves more after his performance last season and in 2013, when he tallied 1,121 rushing yards for nine touchdowns.
According to Romo, he could have agreed to a restructured deal as well if the team asked him. The 34-year-old quarterback is set to receive a base salary of $17 million this season. The Cowboys could have reduced Romo's base salary to $1 million and convert the remaining salary to signing bonus and give the QB a bigger salary in the future.
"I was like 'They're going to restructure,' and that's the same thing in some ways - for salary cap purposes," Romo continued. "He was like 'Ok, now we're back to being friends again,' I was like 'You're really worried about me? I would take $5 million less if it meant getting you back,' and he knew that."
The Cowboys reportedly decided not to restructure Romo's deal this summer because they are planning to use the option to create cap room to compensate for the per-game roster bonuses of Greg Hardy.
After losing Murray to the Eagles, the Cowboys signed Darren McFadden. They are also continuously being linked to Adrian Peterson, who they are expected to chase if the Minnesota Vikings eventually decide to part ways with the 2012 NFL MVP.
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