Caleb Harris
It’s safe to say that James Conner made the most of his second NFL opportunity. A former third-round pick of the Steelers who became a Pro Bowler in Pittsburgh, Conner reinforced his status as a Pro Bowl-caliber player during his first three years with the Cardinals, who signed him in 2021 after the Steelers let him try out the free agent market.
Rather than test the market again next offseason (Conner is entering the final year of his current contract), the veteran running back wants to stay in Arizona as long as he continues to play football.
“It would be amazing to finish my career here, but nothing changes,” said 29-year-old Conner. recently told the team’s website. “In fact, it’s time to improve even more in the last year of my contract. I’m grateful to have seen his senior year, so I’m going into this with everything I have. See what happens next year, I hope to stay, but I understand it’s a business.”
Conner’s success with the Cardinals doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows his story. A cancer survivor, Conner was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma during his junior season at Pitt. He underwent treatment and was declared cancer-free before a senior season that saw him score 20 touchdowns for the Panthers.
With the Steelers, Conner sat behind Le’Veon Bell as a rookie before being thrust into the starting lineup in 2018 as a result of Bell’s year-long holdout. Despite the uncertainty of Bell’s toughness, Conner managed a Pro Bowl season after scoring 13 touchdowns and racking up nearly 1,500 all-purpose yards.
Despite his success in Pittsburgh, Conner was considered expendable after injuries limited his availability during his final two years with the Steelers. And although injuries prevented him from having even more success in Arizona, he remained healthy enough to earn another Pro Bowl nod (in 2021) while racking up 3,414 total yards and 35 touchdowns during his first three seasons with the Cardinals. .
Last year might have been Conner’s best season yet. In 13 games, he recorded his first 1,000-yard rushing season, averaging a career-high 5 yards per carry. In Week 13, Conner had 105 yards and two touchdowns on the ground against his former team while helping the Cardinals defeat the Steelers.
While he has continued to produce at a high level, Conner has also become a leader on a young Cardinals team that hopes to turn a corner in 2024. Conner hopes to be with Arizona when the Cardinals — who have made the playoffs just once in the last eight years – change things.
“We have a great football team,” Conner said. “We were very well coached, so we want that to be reflected in our record and our game.”
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