"Edgerrin James wants out of Arizona, but the Cardinals aren't ready to let him go just yet.

Through his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, James asked the Cardinals to release him two weeks ago, and the team refused.

James was benched three games ago in favor of rookie Tim Hightower and didn't play at all in St. Louis, his first game as a reserve. In the past two games, he carried the ball three times for 5 yards.

"Edge is not looking to create a distraction or impact team chemistry," Rosenhaus said. "But this is a difficult situation for him. It's a very confusing decision, not just to not be starting but to not be contributing. He's in the prime of his career and he wants to contribute."

The hope, Rosenhaus said, is the Cardinals would spare a potential Hall of Famer "the indignity of standing on the sidelines."

Cardinals officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

James signed a four-year, $30 million deal with the team in 2006 and is making $5 million in salary this year. The Cardinals aren't going to release him this season, because they aren't deep enough at running back to compensate for his loss.

They are expected to release him after the season."