James Conner reworked contract details, cap hit

[ASFN Admin]

Last week, we learned that the Arizona Cardinals reworked the final year of running back James Conner. The numbers are in for the reworked deal, and the bottom line is it reduced the salary-cap charge by $5 million, making it so the Cardinals didn't need to release him like they did with linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither and defensive linemen Bilal Nichols and Dalvin Tomlinson.

Previous 2026 contract terms for James Conner​

• Base salary of $6.39 million.
• Roster bonus of $1 million due on March 15.
• Offseason workout bonus of $100,000.
• Per-game roster bonus of $30,000 for max total of $510,000.
• Cap charge of $9.83 million that included the base salary, roster bonus, prorated signing bonus ($2.25 million), workout bonus and $90,000 per-game bonuses because he played only three games in 2025.

James Conner reworked contract numbers​

• Base salary of $2.355 million with $2.1 million guaranteed.
• Workout bonus increased to $135,000.
• Per-game roster bonuses remain the same.
• Cap charge of $4.83 million that includes base salary, $2.25 million prorated signing bonus, workout bonus and $90,000 of per-game roster bonuses.

Had the Cardinals decided to release Conner, there would have been dead money on the cap of $2.25 million for the prorated signing bonus. Bringing him back results in a cap increase of $2.58 million over what it would have been if he was released.

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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: James Conner reworked contract details, cap hit with Arizona Cardinals

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[GimmedaBall]

We didn't get any comments on this when it was first posted back on March 11. When I first read this, I thought it might be an 'injury settlement' as much as anything. I'll be surprised if JC comes back at anywhere near his performance in his good years with the Cards. I'm sure his heart is willing---but will his ankle allow it?