Only two days after non-tendering running back Emari Demercado, the Cardinals announced that they would retain James Conner on a restructured contract, keeping the 30-year-old veteran around for the 2026 season.
Conner agreed to a restructured deal that would allow him to stick around for another season and avoid a release, his cap hit was originally set at $9.83 million.
Conner saw his 2025 season end in Week 3 on the road against the San Francisco 49ers after suffering a foot injury. He finished with 32 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown.
In his five seasons with the Cardinals since coming over from Pittsburgh, Conner has logged 3,763 yards and 38 touchdowns.
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Ever since Conner went down, the Cardinals had an incredibly difficult time establishing a run game over the course of the season. The running back unit saw injuries to not only Conner, but also Trey Benson and Bam Knight.
The free agent market at running back is very strong this offseason, with guys like Kenneth Walker and Travis Etienne headlining it. However, it seems as if Monti Ossenfort and the front office are going to stick with Conner as the premier back.
The Cardinals also hold the No. 3 overall draft pick, with a massive debate of whether the they will go offensive line, or somewhere else. Francis Mauigoa and Spencer Fano are the top o-line prospects available, and it would be beneficial for Arizona to go that direction considering that they seem to have their running back for 2025.
Would it be a surprise if the Cardinals were to select another running back in the later rounds? No, because depth is incredibly important in today’s game.
It will be interesting to see how the Cardinals attack free agency on Monday.