The Arizona Cardinals have reportedly agreed on a two-year, $12.25 million contract with former BYU running back Tyler Allgeier.
Garafolo: Tyler Allgeier to sign a 2-year, $12.25M deal with the Cardinals.
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) March 9, 2026
This contract is perfect for both the player and the team and provides Allgeier with many, many more opportunities than he had with his former team, the Atlanta Falcons.
Tyler Allgeier's criminal underutilization by the Atlanta Falcons
Arizona presents a great situation for Tyler Allgeier to flash his Pro Bowl potential. He spent his first four professional seasons with the Atlanta Falcons after they selected him in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He burst onto the scene as a rookie with 1,035 rushing yards while averaging a healthy 4.9 yards per carry. He set the Falcons franchise rookie rushing record that year.
But the following season the Falcons drafted fellow running back Bijan Robinson at No. 8 overall. He was immediately elevated to RB1, and deservedly so as one of the best running backs in the NFL.
This dynamic has led to Tyler Alger being criminally underutilized by the Falcons over the last three seasons. When they did give him the ball, it was often on third and short, using him as a battering ram against stacked boxes. Being deployed in these predictable downs and distances negatively impacted his yards per carry and his ability to find open holes. It was clearly time for him to fly the Falcons nest.
Tyler's fit on the Cardinals
Allgeier joins a Cardinals team in desperate need to upgrade the running back position. The team went 3–14 last year and their leading rusher was unheralded Michael Carter with just 333 yards. Incumbent starter James Connor was limited to three games last year due to injury and as he enters his age-31 season he’s not going to carry the ball 25 times a game.
With the Cardinals quarterback position in flux after releasing Kyler Murray, it wouldn’t be surprising for them to lean on the running game in 2026. Allgeier may not be the unquestioned bell cow as Conner will get his carries, too, but Tyler will see a major uptick in touches in his new home.
Plus, he will make life-changing money with $12 million over the next two seasons. It’s notoriously difficult for running backs to secure these types of deals in today's NFL, so congratulations to the BYU legend for getting what he’s worth.
My prediction this season is Allgeier will average about 15 carries a game and about 4.2 yards per carry in a pretty bad offense. If he plays 17 games, that puts him at nearly 1,100 yards on the season. I'm pretty confident he'll exceed 1,000 yards this year with the Cards.
Congratulations to the former BYU legend for earning this opportunity.
Go be great, Tyler!