I find this interesting from Ullrich today on Murphy....
Ullrich wrote:He said he'd come back this year, but only after renegotiating the option year upward with coach Wally Buono, who returns to work next week.
"Wally knows that," said Murphy, who even threw out the hint of a trade option. "And I'm sure that if he didn't want to do something he'd find I would have a lot of value with other [CFL] teams. There's a lot to figure out right now, and we're just getting started."
To me, also given Murphy's approach to the NFL option window, it sounds as if he is drawing his line in the sand for Wally. This may sound optimistic, but I think that if Wally can afford his demands or if they are realistic, Murphy could end back up in the Lions den for 07.
His price tag of $720K in the NFL may make it difficult for him to land employment, although according to the article, only $450K are associated with the NFL Cap rules. Add to that he expects a signing bonus, and will only sign if his chances are better than 50/50, and he ahs painted a very limited window of opportunity for himself via the NFL.
So going back to the quote, he seems to be making it clear that he expects to be paid well for his services and is using the interest he would garner from other CFL teams as his leverage. Now I hope that the Lions can meet somewhere on salary that both sides can agree upon, although the SMS may factor into the equation now.
At least I am a little more optimistic about his return than I was when it was initially noted of his intent to return to the NFL.