Running back James Conner knew his “options were limited” when he remained unsigned a month into the free agency period this offseason, so he wasn’t in a position to pass on an offer from the Cardinals to join Chase Edmonds in their backfield.
Similar situations haven’t worked out for other players, but Conner landing in Arizona turned out to be the best outcome. Conner has tied his career high for an entire season by scoring 13 total touchdowns through 11 games and he’s riding a five-game touchdown streak into this Sunday’s game against the Bears.
Conner has remained healthy after missing time in each of his four seasons with the Steelers and the Cardinals are the top team in the NFC right now, so it has all added up to a partnership that Conner would like to see continue beyond the expiration of his current one-year deal.
“Man, I want to win a Super Bowl here,” Conner said, via Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic. “I love the weather and everything this team has going and my teammates out here and the coaching staff. I don’t see why not, why I wouldn’t want to be here. We have all the resources and everything we need to be successful. We’re going to take it one week at a time first. We’ve got a big game against Chicago coming up. But after the season, I’ve got a lot of love for the Cardinals, so we’ll see what happens.”
Conner’s proven to be a good fit in the Arizona backfield as both a complement for Edmonds and as the starter during Edmonds’ absence with an ankle injury. That’s a good argument for keeping him around, but it will likely be a few months before we know if Conner will stay in Arizona.