James Conner has been the heart and soul of the Cardinals offense almost from the time he arrived.
The Cardinals are making sure that they won't lose that anytime soon.
The veteran running back signed a two-year extension Saturday morning, putting him under contract through the 2026 season. Conner had been scheduled to be a free agent after the season.
Conner will be 30 in May, an age that can be a danger sign for running backs in the NFL. But Conner has only gotten better as he has gotten older, stressing often that he has learned how to take care of his body. He has played in every game this season.
And how Conner goes is how the Cardinals go. The team is 5-1 in games when Conner has reached 100 scrimmage yards, and only 1-4 in games when he has not.
For the season, Conner has 705 yards rushing and five touchdowns, averaging 4.2 yards a carry, and has added 29 receptions for 288 yards. He is looking to bounce back from a tough game in Seattle last week.
Despite that game. Conner still has 993 scrimmage yards this season, and Next Gen Stats has him tied with Baltimore's Derrick Henry for most missed tackles forced with 71.
The move figures to be only the first for GM Monti Ossenfort, who has a number of key players scheduled to become free agents after the season. The Cardinals have the salary cap space to make sure a handful of them are locked up before free agency begins in March, if Ossenfort so chooses.
The Cardinals fly to Minnesota on Saturday for a key game against the Vikings on Sunday.
