The NFL is a copycat league. And the Cardinals have opted not to repeat the mistakes of teams like the Giants, Titans, and Raiders.
Those teams watched high-end tailbacks walk away earlier this year, in Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Josh Jacobs, respectively. The Cardinals won’t let that happen with James Conner.
At a reported two-years and $19 million (the full structure will reveal the true value and extent of the commitment), Conner’s deal is better on its face than the two-year, $16 million signed by Henry with the Ravens in March.
But Henry got his deal before the NFL gained a new appreciation for running backs. Not all of them. Just the very best of them.
That’s ultimately the line of demarcation. The average running back can be swapped out for a younger, cheaper, healthier model. Great running backs can’t easily be replaced.
And Conner was poised to be one of the few accomplished running backs on the market in 2025. With Conner signed, the next question becomes whether the Steelers (who let Conner, a former Pitt star and cancer survivor, leave as a free agent in 2021) will re-sign Najee Harris. Whether Harris stays in Pittsburgh or goes elsewhere, it will be interesting to see what he gets, especially since the Steelers opted not to exercise the fifth-year option on the former first-round pick.
He would have made $6.7 million next year. under the option. The way the market is going, Harris has a very good chance to do better than that.
With 749 yards rushing in 11 games, Harris is on pace for his fourth 1,000-yard season in four years. Given that the Steelers replaced Conner with Harris in 2021, will they try to do it again — or will they employ the lesson learned the hard way by New York, Tennessee, and Las Vegas?