Arizona Cardinals RB James Conner just turned 29 and is on the final year of his contract in the desert.
There's been some speculation on Conner's future after 2024 - which was helped when the Cardinals drafted Florida State running back Trey Benson on Day 2 of the NFL Draft.
Benson - the second running back taken in the three-day event - boasts a profile that's similar to Conner in terms of size, power and speed. Arizona potentially found a long-term solution to their backfield past Conner, which has stirred some belief from other outlets that the former Pittsburgh Steelers rusher could be on the market.
Pro Football Network recently pieced together a mock trade that sent Conner to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a sixth-round pick.
"Dallas failed to select a running back in the draft, instead reuniting with veteran Ezekiel Elliott on a one-year deal. Elliott can no longer handle a full-time workload, while the rest of the Cowboys’ RB options — Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, Royce Freman, and others — are uninspiring," wrote Dallas Robinson.
"Conner is a three-down back who could become Dallas’ 1A, and the Cardinals might be willing to trade him after selecting Florida State RB Trey Benson in the third round. While Conner almost always misses time with injuries, Elliott, Dowdle, et al., could fill in for a few games if needed. Arizona already paid Conner’s March roster bonus, so he’d cost the Cowboys roughly $4.5 million in 2024."
The trade package is a bit puzzling - if Conner is truly a 1A (especially over Ezekiel Elliot despite his age) it's tough to imagine Arizona parting for only a sixth-rounder.
Arizona GM Monti Ossenfort will always listen to phone calls, though it's tough to imagine the Cardinals - who function as a run-first offense - would part with Conner for so little, even with Benson in the backfield.
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