James Conner can move up Cardinals’ all-time list vs. Patriots

Conner can move into fifth place in the Cardinals’ all-time in career rushing list with a decent game against the Patriots.

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner has 863 rushing yards this season. With four games left, he should be able to pass his career high in rushing that he set last season with 1,040 yards.

With 137 against the New England Patriots, he can reach 1,000 for the season.

He will also likely move up the Cardinals’ all-time rushing list.

He enters Week 15 No. 8 in career rushing yards with the Cardinals with 3,437.

With two yards, he will pass Terry Metcalf for seventh place. With 53, he will pass John David Crow for sixth place. With 70 against New England, he will pass Charley Trippi and move up to fifth on the all-time franchise list.

With a monster game of 172 yards, he would move all the way up to No. 4, passing Johnny Roland.

With 427 yards, he will move into third place and needs 1,213 to pass Stump Mitchell for second place all-time. Since he is signed through two more seasons, that seems very possible.

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RB James Conner should be Cardinals’ offensive Plan A, not Plan B

Arizona Cardinals RB James Conner had 90 rush yards on just 18 carries this past Sunday. Perhaps OC Drew Petzing should make him Plan A.

In Sunday’s 30-18 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner totaled 90 yards on just 18 carries. With an average of five yards per carry, it would seem logical for offensive coordinator Drew Petzing to make Conner plan A on offense moving forward.

Other factors determine Conner’s usage of course, including the dynamics of the game score and team deficit. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald didn’t make life easy for Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray when they faced him in Week 12, and in Week 14, the Seattle defense sacked Murray twice and intercepted him twice as well.

Still, Petzing was set on throwing a total of 38 passes, squandering a crucial red zone opportunity in the fourth quarter which ended in a missed field goal attempt by kicker Chad Ryland.

Petzing has become a nominal new-age statistic, opting to overly use the pass when the running game shows itself effective. It’s far too late in the season to live on lectures, but head coach Jonathan Gannon must gather the troops and get the team back to play rugged football. Petzing’s proclivity for flash has made Murray eager, subjecting the offense to squandered possessions when they should be pacing themselves behind the legs of Conner.

Editor note: Conner had 22 touches in the Cardinals’ 61 offensive plays on Sunday. His 22 touches were tied for the most touches he has had in a game this season. 

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The details of James Conner’s new contract extension

Check out James Conner’s contract extension details. He only has a $6.5 million cap hit in 2025.

The Arizona Cardinals rewarded running back James Conner with a two-year contract extension this past weekend, but like the previous extensions for linebacker Zaven Collins and center Hjalte Froholdt, the deal is reasonable and includes no guaranteed money in 2026, which is Conner’s age-31 season.

The reports of the extension being worth $19 were accurate, but, of course, they did not reveal the guaranteed money and the all-important structure.

Conner’s contract for this year remained the same: $4.235 million base salary with $1.5 million guaranteed, a $1.5 million roster bonus that has been paid and $15,000 per-game roster bonuses for a max total of $255,000. Conner has already earned $180,000 of those bonuses.

The new money starts with a $6.75 million signing bonus that begins prorating this season. That adds $2.25 million to his prior salary-cap charge of $8.99 million to make it $11.24 million.

The new guaranteed money is $10.39 million (including the signing bonus) with $8.25 of that million fully guaranteed at signing.

Of his $3.64 million salary in 2025, $1.5 million is fully guaranteed. Another $2.14 million of that salary is guaranteed at signing for injury only, but will become fully guaranteed if he is on the roster on the fifth day of the 2025 league year (March 16).

In 2026, a $1 million roster bonus is due on the fifth day of the league year and his scheduled salary that year is $6.39 million. In both 2025 and 2026, there are $100,000 workout bonuses and $30,000 per-game roster bonuses worth a max total of $510,000.

The cap hits are $6.5 million in 2025 and $10.25 million in 2026.

Most important is that if the Cardinals would decide to move on from Conner prior to the end of the contract, there is only $4.5 million of dead money from his signing bonus that would have to be accounted for and that would only be if they shockingly part ways in 2025 without a major injury. If a departure occurred in 2026, there would only be $2.25 million of dead money if it happened before the fifth day of the league year.

Of course, it wouldn’t be surprising that should Conner continue playing at a high level through next season that another extension could occur.

Noticeably pleased, head coach Jonathan Gannon made sure to thank owner Michael Bidwill and general manager Monti Ossenfort for getting the deal done and added, “He’s a huge piece of who we are and obviously I wanted him to stick around here, so very happy about it.”

During his weekly appearance on ArizonaSports 98.7, Gannon also said, “I wish you could see the smile on my face over the phone. The leader that he is, the teammate that he is, the player that he is, the person that he is, really excited to have him in the fold here for the future.

“He’s everything we’re about. That’s one of the cooler parts of the job as a coach is to see guys get rewarded for who they are. I’m very appreciative of James and who he is and I’m glad he got rewarded.”

Quarterback Kyler Murray said on Wednesday, “It means a lot. More than myself, I love seeing my guys get rewarded for their hard work, dedication and perseverance. I can’t say enough about J.C. I told you that many times before. One of the best teammates I’ve ever played with, one of the best guys I’ve ever played with. For him to get rewarded was a beautiful thing.”

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Cardinals QB Kyler Murray has to stop trying to play miracle ball

Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray has regressed some and his team needs his best if they still want to win the NFC West in 2024.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has regressed some in his decision-making ability and it has cost his team the division lead heading into NFL Week 14. Luckily, Murray and the Cardinals will have a chance to redeem themselves versus the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday.

Two costly interceptions, an excessive 45 pass attempts and red zone struggles versus the Minnesota Vikings are an indication that the Cardinals offense has been uncharacteristic. Murray isn’t committing to his first reads in the pass game, holding the ball entirely too long in the pocket, and hoping to create miracles on broken plays.

Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing needs to pump the brake with his approach and get back to the ground game with running back James Conner more frequently. Petzing’s overuse of Murray was senseless, as the Cardinals held a 19-6 lead in the third quarter, meaning that Murray’s meltdown was an act of impulse rather than necessity.

Murray had the luxury of 77 total plays and the offense pretty much dictated the game in Week 13. Yet it was Murray’s two absurd interceptions that deflated a very optimal Cardinals push in Minnesota.

If the Cardinals and Murray want to actually win the NFC West, they need to revert back to playing fundamental football, not reaching for aimless miracles by being excessive in the pass game. 

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James Conner must be used more in Week 13 vs. Vikings

Arizona Cardinals RB James Conner is a beast so OC Drew Petzing must avoid the error of limiting his carries in NFL Week 13.

The Arizona Cardinals were not themselves in Week 12. Not only did the team have countless errors last week in their 16-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, running back James Conner only had seven carries, and that has not been a recipe for team success in 2024.



Over the four-game winning streak that was snapped last weekend, Conner averaged 17 carries per game, recorded two 100-yard games and had two touchdowns. Yet, Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing found a way to alienate Conner from the game plan in their very important Week 12 matchup.

Against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 13,  Petzing needs to rely on Conner to keep the Vikings offense on the sideline. Running the ball and sustaining offensive drives will help the Cardinals to dictate the pace of the game and prevent the game from turning into an offensive shootout.

Ultimately, it’s not that Conner can’t occupy as a asset with lesser usage but his play style helps to balance out the teams’ passing attack. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores will likely blitz Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray so Petzing would be wise to run the ball to play on the attrition of the Vikings defense. Allowing Conner’s physicality to weigh on the Vikings might be pivotal down the stretch of this contest.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on SpotifyYouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Cardinals RB James Conner gets 2-year extension

The Cardinals avoided losing James Conner in free agency and have signed him through 2026.

The Arizona Cardinals are committing another two years to running back James Conner. The team announced he signed a two-year contract extension that keeps him under contract through the 2026 season.

Conner was scheduled to be a free agent after this season.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the extension is worth $19 million.

Conner is in his fourth season with the team. This season, he has 705 rushing yards and five touchdowns, averaging 4.2 yards per attempt. He has also caught 29 passes for 288 yards.

This comes after rushing for a career-high 1,040 yards in 2023 despite missing four games.

Conner will turn 30 in May so this contract keeps him with the team through his age 31 season.

He has 3,279 rushing yards since joining the Cardinals, which is 10th on the franchise’s all-time list. As things stand right now, he needs only 1,370 rushing yards to tie Stump Mitchell for No. 2 on the franchise all-time list, something that he should achieve if he remains healthy.

We will update you with financial details of the extension in the days to come.

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Highlighting the offensive struggles of Cardinals, Kyler Murray vs. Seahawks

Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray seemed to be stuck in neutral in Sunday’s 16-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Did the bye leave him rusty?

Quarterback Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals offense seemed to be stuck in neutral in Sunday’s 16-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12. Producing just six points on 56 total plays on offense was rather disappointing, especially after the team averaged 26.2 points per game over its four-game winning streak before the bye week.



Murray finished Week 12 completing 24-of-37 pass attempts for 285 yards. Murray was also sacked five times for a net loss of 36 yards. Punter Blake Gillikin’s left leg is probably ringing from the six punts he was forced to kick this past Sunday thanks to inadequacies in the team’s offense.

While Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald is renowned as a pass-rushing mastermind, Murray’s incoherence was vividly apparent in Sunday’s loss. The raving Seahawks fans, mixed in with the shell coverage deception of the Seahawks’ defense and Murray’s lax demeanor, left Cardinals fans scratching their heads at the struggles. Additionally, the Cardinals had just 14 rushing attempts, a severe decline from their 34 rush attempts on Nov. 3 and 26 rush attempts on Oct. 27.

Murray’s crucial third-quarter interception throw made the Cardinals’ offensive struggles most indicative. At 6-5, the margin for error has become even slimmer for the Cardinals in the NFC West. Hopefully, offensive coordinator Drew Petzing will reflect on this outing and assess some All-22 film to better prepare for the Seahawks and their rematch on Dec. 8 at State Farm Stadium.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on SpotifyYouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

This key stat stands out in Kyler Murray’s success with 1st-place Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray has elitism that is represented by one key 2024 NFL passing statistic.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has undoubtedly had his career edified by head coach Jonathan Gannon this NFL season. Murray’s elitism is represented by one key statistic keeping the offense on schedule.

Murray ranks No. 6 among NFL quarterbacks with a completion percentage of 69.2%. For perspective, sitting ahead of Murray at No. 5 in this category is Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. That is great company.

Murray has just 2,058 total yards passing through Week 10, so it is clear that Gannon isn’t expecting Murray to be a high-volume guy. Instead, Gannon has used Murray’s rhythmic play style to an advantage, sequencing in QB running plays and RPO to give Murray easy reads in the pass game.

At State Farm Stadium this past Sunday, Murray ignited a 17-0 Cardinals’ scoring run when he threw a precision touchdown pass to wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. in the second quarter.

Ultimately, as long as Gannon continues to establish the running game, he can bait defenses into playing man coverage where opponents will be susceptible to both the athleticism of the Cardinals skills players, and impeccable throwing accuracy of Murray.

 

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Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon is on a mission to win the NFC West

Arizona Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon has ignited a passion within the team locker room, one that might yield them the NFC West in 2024.

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has ignited both a change in locker room enthusiasm and team identity in his first year. Having coached in and around the NFL for nearly two decades, Gannon has Cardinals’ fans hoping for a playoff berth in 2024.



There was evidently an intangible void needed to be filled by new leadership for the Cardinals franchise. Before Gannon, quarterback Kyler Murray wasn’t being optimized, often forced to run fancy RPO schemes under former coach Kliff Kingsbury. The most noticeable change for Gannon is his strategy to put Murray under center, using 13 personnel to neutralize the opponent’s pass defense, and create play-action opportunities in the pass game.

There is also a growing physicality on the defensive side of the ball for the Cardinals. Having recorded six sacks in Week 9, Gannon and Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis are producing a swarming presence through various shell coverages and blitz schemes. 

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The New York Jets will need to study long and hard to assure their past protection can handle the Cardinals blitz in week 10. Gannon however has his eyes set on advancing to 6-4 and furthering the momentum owner Michael Bidwell knew he could inspire when he hired him.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on SpotifyYouTube or Apple podcasts.

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Bears caught cold feet trying to catch Cardinals RB James Conner

Arizona Cardinals RB James Conner continues to thrive under new head coach Jonathan Gannon and OC Drew Petzing.

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner shredded the Chicago Bears defense for 107 rushing yards on just 18 carries yesterday at State Farm Stadium in a 29-9 win.

Thanks to head coach Jonathan Gannon, the Cardinals have a new commitment to running the ball, a commitment that has dynamically impacted their potency on offense.

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Through Week 9, Conner ranks No. 6 in the NFL in both carries and rushing yards. His durability has been essential to the team and it’s almost as if Conner becomes more powerful as the game progresses. Conner wasn’t the lone carrier in the Cardinals’ run attack Sunday as rookie running back Trey Benson and Emari Demercado both scored touchdowns and handled a few carries as well.

With Gannon’s run-first offensive identity, offensive coordinator Drew Petzing can rely on Conner to set the tone while he simultaneously accesses film to identify potential coverage voids for the team to attack in play-action.

Ultimately, the Cardinals have found their niche on offense, using physicality and larger personnel groups to create advantages for Conner at the line of scrimmage. Thanks to Conner, the Cardinals now have their eyes set on winning the NFC West midway through 2024.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on SpotifyYouTube or Apple podcasts.