James Conner stays in Arizona. The future free agent signed a two-year extension with the Cardinals, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The agreement worth $19 million. The extension will allow Conner to remain in Glendale through the 2026 campaign.

The 2025 campaign will represent Conner’s season at age 30, a milestone teams are typically hesitant to invest in. Although the RB has missed time in each of his first three seasons with the organization, he still tops 1,000 yards from scrimmage each year. He had 35 touchdowns during that span, including an 18-goal campaign in his Arizona debut.

Conner avoided the injury bug for the first part of the 2024 campaign and he continued to produce. In 11 games, the 29-year-old has 993 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns. As Schefter notesthe Cardinals are 5-1 when Conner reaches 100 yards from scrimmage…and 1-4 when he doesn’t. The team continues to be particularly reliant on its RB1, and he should continue to be a focal point over the next few seasons.

The former third-round pick began his career as a Le’Veon BellPittsburgh’s replacement. When the starter sat out the 2018 campaign due to a contract dispute with the Steelers, Conner did his job, literally and figuratively. Conner finished his sophomore campaign with 1,470 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns. Thanks in part to injuries and a decline in efficiency, Conner has barely been able to match his 2018 numbers to his 2019 and 2020 results; between these two campaigns, the RB collected 1,651 yards from scrimmage and 13 scores.

The Cardinals took a bit of a chance on Conner during the 2021 offseason, signing the RB to a one-year deal. His 18-touchdown performance earned him a new three-year pact with the organization, so today’s extension represents his third contract with the Cardinals.

The front office could have prepared for a post-Conner backfield when they chose running back Trey Benson in the third round of this year’s draft. The Florida State product will become high-end insurance behind the oft-injured starter.