IRVING, Texas -- When the Dallas Cowboys decided to release DeMarcus Ware last year, they left the negotiations on a new deal open with their all-time leader in sacks as he hit the market without ever making an offer.

They did not want to submit something Ware would sniff at and feel insulted.

A day later, Ware signed a three-year deal with the Denver Broncos that guaranteed him $20 million, which was a figure the Cowboys never would have come close to matching.

This year the Cowboys are preparing to let DeMarco Murray, their single-season rushing leader, hit the open market with the hope he allows for a chance to match an offer from another team.

Are the Cowboys unwilling to make an offer to Murray because they don’t want to offend the NFL’s reigning rushing champion, as they were with Ware last year?

It sure seems that way.

While owner and general manager Jerry Jones said at the NFL scouting combine he has some flexibility in the parameters of a deal for Murray, it might not be close to what the running back can get on the open market.

There have not been detailed negotiations between the two sides, despite the publicly stated positions by the Cowboys and Murray that both sides want to continue the relationship for the long term. Coincidentally, Ware and Murray are represented by the same agency.

Murray has said money will not be the only factor in his decision. Winning will matter. The Indianapolis Colts went to the AFC Championship Game this past season and have more than $40 million in cap space. The Atlanta Falcons struggled badly last season but have a core in place that can turn things around quickly and have roughly $23 million in cap space available. The Arizona Cardinals can create enough cap space to make a deal for Murray more than possible.

And so can the Cowboys, even with the impending franchise tag of Dez Bryant.

The possible -- or impending -- departure of Murray will be about the Cowboys not wanting to spend big on a running back, not about a lack of salary-cap space.

Stephen Jones said at the combine that if Murray hits the market it would not preclude his return, in the same way Darren Woodson and Jay Novacek hit the market in the past but eventually returned.

It’s a risky strategy.

Murray will be under no requirement to offer the Cowboys a chance to match or come close to an offer before signing elsewhere.

And the Cowboys will be under no requirement to wait for Murray to bring them an offer. They will be able to peruse the free-agent market to find a potential replacement at a cheaper price.

It all makes you wonder if the Murray saga will end the same way as the Ware saga.