Cardinals RB James Conner Receives Incredible Hometown Honor

Conner was a three-star prospect after finishing with 26 rushing touchdowns in his senior season at McDowell. He had interest from programs such as Penn State, Iowa, North Carolina and USC though none officially offered.

Conner chose Pitt and had a wildly successful career, finishing as the ACC's all-time leader in touchdowns (56) while overcoming a knee injury and diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma in the same swing. The Steelers drafted him in the 2017 NFL Draft, where he played in Pittsburgh for four seasons before landing in the desert.

Since his arrival, Conner has been a massive pillar for Arizona in the locker room as a leader and on the field as a weapon— amassing multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons with a Pro Bowl on his resume as well.

Conner suffered a season-ending foot injury this past year but restructured his contract to remain with the Cardinals through 2026. After Arizona signed Tyler Allgeier and drafted Jeremiyah Love, Conner might be playing his final snaps with the organization.

“It's tough, man. Honestly, to see a leader go down like that, everybody knows how hard he worked in the building early, always the last one to leave," Cardinals captain Mack Wilson Sr. said when Conner hurt his ankle in Week 3.

"A guy who I've been competing against throughout my career and fortunate enough to be a teammate with, I learned a lot from James. Agreat leader, great role model. Yeah, it's tough man. I feel like the guys were a little sensitive when he did go down because he's the heart and soul of our team."

A well deserved honor for a player that deserves it most.