TEMPE, Ariz. — Cardinals running back James Conner suffered a right foot injury in Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers, coach Jonathan Gannon said Monday. It was previously believed to be an ankle injury.
Conner will still have to have surgery and will miss the rest of the season, Gannon said.
Conner was carted off the field after a nine-yard run with 12:26 remaining in the third quarter of the Niners’ 16-15 victory.
“One of our leaders, a captain, you hate that It happens,” Gannon said. “I feel terrible, but I know he’ll take the right attitude and bounce back. Picking up that slack, both the player and the person, we’re all going to have to collectively do it, truthfully.
“But that’s a bummer just like all our guys that have gotten hurt, but I just know what type of person and player he is. It’s tough to replace but we have to. So, that’s what we’ll do.”
Conner, 30, had nine carries for 22 yards before his injury. He was coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons — the first time he accomplished that in his career.
Conner signed a two-year extension in November 2024 that runs through the 2026 campaign. His $3.64 million base salary for this year is guaranteed for injury.
“Obviously, I feel terrible for him,” offensive coordinator Drew Petzing said. “I love that guy, just what he brings, the way he works, the way he’s carried himself his whole career, so feel really bad. Anytime somebody gets hurt, you feel bad for the player. I think that’s where your mind goes first.
“Past that, I feel really good about the group, Trey [Benson], Emari [Demercado], Bam [Knight], all the other guys in that room to pick up the slack and kind of pick up right where we left off, knowing that there were times in the last two years James has not been out there and those guys stepped up I thought did a really nice job. So, I need that to happen this year as well.”
