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Sports

Report: James Conner back with Cardinals on reworked deal

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The Arizona Cardinals and James Conner have agreed to a reworked contract to keep the running back with the team next season, NFL Network reported Sunday.

Conner was scheduled to have a $9.8 million cap hit this season. The terms of his new contract were not reported.

Conner, who will turn 31 in May, missed all but three games last season after sustaining a season-ending ankle injury. Conner was coming off of back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons with Arizona in 2023-24.

A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Conner has been with the Cardinals since 2021 and has played in 60 games in Arizona after four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Across 110 career games (84 starts), the third-round pick from the 2017 NFL Draft has 6,065 rushing yards and 60 touchdowns with 2,255 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns

The Cardinals also reworked the contract of cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, who missed all of last season with a knee injury. Murphy-Bunting was projected to have a $9.2 million cap hit next season.

Murphy-Bunting, 28, has played in 82 career games (65 starts) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2019-22), Tennessee Titans (2023) and Cardinals (2024). He has 297 tackles, 34 pass breakups and 11 interceptions in his career.

In other moves, Arizona is re-signing kicker Chad Ryland and punter Blake Gillikin to one-year contracts, NFL Network reported, with Gillikin’s deal worth up to $2.65 million, per his agency, LIFT Sports Management.

Gilllikin, 28, played in only five games last season, missing 12 because of a back injury. He punted 22 times for a 51.7 yard average, 45.4 net yards per punt and 36.4% inside the 20-yard line.

For his career, Gillikin averages 48.5 yards for 271 punts in 65 games for the New Orleans Saints (2021-22) and Cardinals (2023-present).

Ryland, 26, made 25 of 33 field-goal attempts (75.8%) in 17 games last season, with a long of 57 yards. He was 6 of 10 from 50-plus yards. He also made all 36 extra-point attempts.

New England selected Ryland in the fourth round of the draft. He has played in 47 games for the Patriots (2023) and Cardinals (2024-present), making 69 of 90 field-goal attempts (76.7%) and 86 of 88 point-after kicks.

–Field Level Media

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