Six months ago, the business side of being an NFL running back reached out and horse-collared Latavius Murray.
"You know when it's coming," said the Vikings' leading rusher the past two seasons. "There's going to be a point in time when you know they're going to come to you to do a restructure. You can't be surprised by it."
Especially at running back. Dallas showed DeMarco Murray the door two months after he led the league with 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2014.
Latavius Murray is 28. And, technically, he's a backup, even though Sunday's game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium will mark his 17th start in 25 games since the Vikings made Dalvin Cook their top draft pick in 2016.