With James Conner entering the final year of his five-year contract, the Arizona Cardinals drafted running back Trey Benson from Florida State in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Last season, despite their 4-13 record, the Cardinals boasted the fourth-best rushing offense in the league, averaging 139.1 yards per game. Leading this effort was Conner, who had a career-best season, averaging 80 yards per game at 29 years old.
The two-time Pro Bowler achieved his first 1,000-yard season, standing out as a diamond in the rough in a struggling Cardinals’ offense. Conner ended the 2023-2024 season with back-to-back games of 125+ rushing yards.
Conner has played at least 13 games in all three of his seasons in Arizona, consistently averaging at least 50 yards per game each year. Despite his production, Conner’s future with the team remains uncertain due to the Cardinals’ current rebuilding phase, his age, and the addition of Trey Benson to the backfield.
Discussing his mindset heading into the final year of his contract, Conner expressed to Darren Urban his desire to remain with the Cardinals, potentially retiring in Arizona.
Conner noted, “It would be awesome to finish my career here, but nothing changes. If anything, it’s time to turn it up even more going into the last year of my deal. I’m thankful I got to see the last year of it, so I’ll go into it with everything I got. We’ll see what happens next year, hopefully stay, but I understand it’s a business.”
The Cardinals owe Conner $8.93 million this upcoming season, and he will become an unrestricted free agent in 2025. The veteran is among many exciting pieces the Cardinals are eager to showcase this year, with Kyler Murray finally healthy and a new dynamic receiver threat in Marvin Harrison Jr., who was drafted fourth overall.
Regarding Trey Benson, the Cardinals’ recent addition, the 21-year-old accumulated 1,895 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns on 310 carries over 26 games at Florida State. Benson was regarded as the top running back prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft.
