The Arizona Cardinals made significant changes after they went 3-14 in 2025. First-year head coach Mike LaFleur, hired in February after three seasons as the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator, has overseen a complete overhaul of the roster and coaching staff.
The most significant offensive investment came at running back, where general manager Monti Ossenfort used the third overall pick on Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love. Arizona also signed Tyler Allgeier to a two-year, $12.25 million deal in free agency and still has 2024 third-round pick Trey Benson on the roster. These moves leave two-time Pro Bowler James Conner in a precarious position, and he is a candidate to get traded.
Why Trading James Conner Makes Sense for Both Sides
In his recent article about players likely to be traded soon, PFSN’s Jacob Infante highlighted Conner as the player the Cardinals could move on from.
“Coming off an injury and being 31 years old, James Conner already had an uphill battle to stick around in the same starting role with the Arizona Cardinals as he had before,” Infante wrote. “This offseason, they signed Tyler Allgeier and drafted Jeremiyah Love in Round 1, further adding competition at running back. You throw Trey Benson into the mix, and Conner feels like a prime candidate to be shipped out.”
Conner’s 2025 season ended in Week 3 when he suffered a foot injury against the San Francisco 49ers and was carted off the field at Levi’s Stadium. He underwent season-ending surgery and finished the year with just 32 carries for 95 yards and one touchdown across three games.
It was a devastating turn for a back who had produced back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons in 2023 and 2024, combining for 2,134 yards and 15 touchdowns on 444 carries at 4.8 yards per attempt during that stretch.
According to PFSN’s RB Impact Metric, he posted impact scores of 83.7 in 2023 and 85.7 in 2024, ranking sixth-best in the league both times.
The Cardinals restructured Conner’s contract this offseason, reducing his base salary to $2.3 million. His dead cap hit sits at $4.35 million, making a trade financially painless for Arizona. Conner took the pay cut to remain with the organization, but the arrival of Love has changed things.
Love signed a four-year, $53.02 million fully guaranteed rookie deal and is the unquestioned RB1 heading into camp. Allgeier, who surpassed 1,000 rushing yards as a rookie with the Falcons in 2022, slots in as the complement, while Benson and Bam Knight provide additional depth.
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For Conner, a trade could offer what Arizona can’t: a clear path to meaningful carries. A contending team with a running back need, whether through injury or depth concerns, could benefit from a proven veteran who can also contribute in a modern receiving-back role.
LaFleur’s job is to maximize Love’s development and build an identity around the third overall pick, not manage a veteran’s workload in a rebuilding year. Arizona ranked 31st in rushing last season at 93.1 yards per game, and the entire point of drafting Love was to change that.
