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LeSean McCoy Thought Money Could Help Him Catch DeMarco Murray for the Rushing Crown

NFL Fans Pile On LeSean McCoy After Wild Drake Maye vs. Cam Newton Take

LeSean McCoy Thought Money Could Help Him Catch DeMarco Murray for the Rushing Crown 1

LeSean McCoy once tried to turn a rushing-title race into a financial incentive program. The former Philadelphia Eagles star recently revealed that he offered money to his teammates’ defense in an attempt to keep DeMarco Murray from piling up yards. McCoy was chasing another rushing crown, and with the season winding down, he apparently decided a little extra motivation could help.

It did not work. Murray went off anyway, leaving McCoy with a hilarious story about how badly his plan backfired. The two backs were competing for the NFL’s rushing lead, however, Murray ultimately had the better season and left McCoy’s paid defensive strategy looking pretty useless.

LeSean McCoy And DeMarco Murray’s Rushing Battle Got Personal

Philadelphia Eagles LeSean McCoyPhiladelphia Eagles LeSean McCoy

Feb 9, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Former running back LeSean McCoy speaks during the Legends NFL Party. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

McCoy shared the story on August 23, looking back at his rivalry with Murray during the 2014 season. Murray was having a monster year with the Dallas Cowboys, while McCoy was trying to defend the rushing title he had won in 2013.

McCoy remembered approaching his teammates with a straightforward request: make Murray’s afternoon miserable.

“One time it’s DeMarco Murray, and at the time, this is the year that he had a really good year. Now, we wasn’t close as far as running backs, but he had a really good year.

I finished third, I think he was first. And I said, ‘Hey man, I’m trying to get this title again, the rushing title. Make sure he don’t get no yards, this and that. Y’all shut him down. I got some money for y’all boys.’

Now, guess what happened. They ain’t shut him down. They ain’t shut nothing down. He got busy. And he beat us.”

LeSean McCoy says he paid his own defense to hold DeMarco Murray to nothing so he could catch up and finish the year as the league’s leading rusher, but Murray went off

“One time it’s DeMarco Murray, and at the time, this is the year that he had a really good year. Now, we… pic.twitter.com/tmpeqpIeyl

— katsu (@katsuxbt) August 23, 2026

However, the problem was that Murray apparently never got the memo.

Instead of being bottled up, Murray kept finding room. McCoy admitted that the defense failed to deliver, and Murray ended up having a huge game against the Eagles. The context makes the story even better. Murray’s 2014 season was one of the best rushing campaigns of the decade. He finished with 1,845 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors, and won AP Offensive Player of the Year.

McCoy was still productive, rushing for 1,319 yards and four touchdowns that season. But Murray had created too much separation for McCoy to close the gap. There was also plenty of history between the two backs. Both were among the NFL’s premier runners during that era, and their careers overlapped during a period when running backs were still carrying enormous workloads.

McCoy’s story now adds a hilarious behind-the-scenes detail to that competition. He was not simply watching the standings and hoping Murray stumbled. He was apparently willing to put his own money on the line to make sure it happened.

Interestingly, Murray is now on the other side of the game. After spending several years coaching running backs at Oklahoma, he joined the Kansas City Chiefs’ staff in 2026. He is now working with Kenneth Walker III and helping develop Kansas City’s running back room.