Philadelphia Eagles

Emmitt Smith 'couldn't imagine' following Murray's path

Published Jul. 17, 2015 12:38 p.m. ET

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If you ask former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith, sports rivalries just aren't what they used to be. DeMarco Murray was a Cowboy since the day they drafted him, but then his rookie contract ended, and now he's a Philadelphia Eagle.

In the NFL's salary cap era, star players moving to division rivals may not seem like a big deal, but to players of Smith's era, it is unheard of. Smith joined John Clark on Comcast SportsNet's Philly Sports Talk on Thursday, and Clark asked Smith if he could ever imagine doing the same thing during his career.

"No," Smith said to Clark. "I couldn't imagine being in that position at all. I like to think that Philadelphia, although as much as they hate the Dallas Cowboys, love to get quality football players on their football team, and DeMarco Murray happened to be one of those guys."

You could say that 20 years ago, when Smith was the NFL's leading rusher, players viewed the game differently. At the same time, Smith and Murray are two separate individuals, and they may play the game for different reasons. After all, NBA veteran David West just bypassed nearly $11 million to sign a veteran's minimum contract with the San Antonio Spurs in hopes of winning his first NBA championship.

(h/t CSN Philly)

Photo Credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images