James Conner wants to do the one thing Arizona Cardinals fans desperately want to see happen
Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner is putting it all on the line come the 2024 season.
At 29, James Conner believes he still has a lot of winning to do.
Since joining the Arizona Cardinals in 2021, Conner has been part of one playoff team. It was that very season he jettisoned the Pittsburgh Steelers to venture to the desert.
Gone are the days of that 11-win Cardinals team. Arizona has won four games in each of the past two seasons. But the running back in a contract year has hope heading into the 2024 season. He wants to do what hasn't been done for the Cardinals – win.
"I want to turn things around out here," Conner said, via the team's official website. "We have a great football team, we're coached really well, so we want that to reflect on our record and our play. I want to speak up."
During 2023, Conner let his play do most of the talking. He ran for 1,040 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 5.0 yards per carry.
It was a career season amid the losing — the silver lining amongst the gray clouds.
With a 2025 free agency looming, Conner has a third NFL contract riding on how he plays in 2024. He is nearing the portion of his career, for most running backs, where they are disregarded under the assumption that better, cheaper, and younger options are available. He knows the only way to avoid that faith is to be part of a winning culture in Arizona. It's a mantle he is willing to take up, he said.
"It would be awesome to finish my career here," Conner said. "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."
Expectations aren't exactly high for the Cardinals. However, the offense does stand to be improved moving forward. Kyler Murray is returning from injury. Marvin Harrison Jr. gives Murray a true top-end talent wide receiver. Tight end Trey McBride has come into his own. The future is bright. If coupled with Conner's desire to win, it wouldn't be outlandish to see Arizona back in contention for a Wild Card sport soon.
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