EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - JANUARY 03: DeMarco Murray #29 of the Philadelphia Eagles carries the ball in for a touchdown in the first quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on January 3, 2016 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New York Giants 35-30. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
DeMarco Murray is hanging up his cleats for good.
The 30-year-old running back announced his retirement from the NFL on Friday.
Murray, the 2014 Offensive Player of the Year, thanked his fans and former teams for all the support they gave him throughout the years.
“I’m very blessed to have had the coaching staff and the players and teammates that I’ve been fortunate to play with the last seven years of my career,” Murray told ESPN. “It’s been a long time thinking the last year or two physically, mentally, emotionally. I think it’s time for me to hang it out there. As hard as it is, like I said the fans have been great. I had a lot of great games and a lot of great teammates. It’s bittersweet, but I think for me it’s the right timing for myself and my family moving forward.”
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Murray owns the NFL record for the most rushing touchdowns scored in the last four years, with 30-plus TDs. He also boasts 4,000-plus rushing yards, a category he led in 2014.
The Dallas Cowboys‘ third-round pick out of Oklahoma in 2011, Murray also played for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014 and the Tennessee Titans from 2016-2017. The three-time Pro Bowler finishes his career with 7,174 rushing yards and 49 running touchdowns.
Murray had recently told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that he just woke up one day and knew it was his time to leave the sport.
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“I think you just wake up. I’ve always heard the saying when you know, you know and one day that day will come,” the rusher stated about the reason behind his retirement decision. “And for me it was the last year or two. Like I said I’ve been constantly thinking about this. Working out still, in great shape, feel great and like I said it’s time. It’s time for me. I just woke up a couple weeks ago and it started to burn and burn and trigger and it got deeper so this morning I decided to call it a career.”
Funny enough, Murray had said as recently as January that he believed he could still be an NFL starter for several more years.
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