TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Cardinals have hollered to anyone who would listen that they are serious about building a winner.

They backed up the big talk Sunday by signing Edgerrin James to a four-year, $30 million contract — almost certainly the most significant free-agent acquisition in the history of the long-suffering franchise.

“You look at his ability to go out and run the football,” Arizona coach Dennis Green said, “and that’s an element we just have to have. We are extremely excited. We had a great weekend.”

James flew into Phoenix with agent Drew Rosenhaus on Saturday and had a deal by Sunday morning. It was the only visit he made as a free agent.

“I’m not scared to take a chance,” James said at a news conference at Cardinals’ headquarters. “I’m not scared to go out there on a limb and do something different. If I was nervous, I would probably have done whatever it took to stay back where I left.”

The four-time Pro Bowl player and two-time NFL rushing leader started 95 regular-season games over the past seven seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, gaining 9,226 yards and scoring 56 touchdowns, both franchise records.

Last season, in 15 starts, he rushed for 1,506 yards, averaging 4.2 yards per carry, and 13 touchdowns, second behind Kansas City’s Larry Johnson in the AFC. He led the league in first downs with 115 — 94 rushing and 24 receiving.

James has been one of the most productive running backs in the NFL after the Colts took him with the fourth overall pick in 1999. He has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in six of his eight NFL seasons, and ran for more than 1,500 yards in each of the last two.

The 28-year-old James joins an Arizona team that went 5-11 last season, leading the league in passing but finishing dead last in rushing with 1,138 yards, averaging 3.2 yards per carry.

“It’s a nice situation. All they really need was a back,” James said. “They’ve got an MVP quarterback (Kurt Warner), they’ve got two Pro Bowl receivers (Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald).”

James also cited the weather and the new stadium — with retractable roof and natural grass — that the Cardinals will move into this fall. The money must have made the difference, though. Arizona had plenty under the newly adjusted salary cap.

James is guaranteed $14.75 million, $11.5 million in bonuses and the rest in his first-year salary. The remaining $15.25 million is divided over the final three years of the deal.

James had other tentative visits planned, Rosenhaus said, “But this was the first stop and the last stop because it was the best stop.”

The Cardinals haven’t had a 100-yard rusher since Emmitt Smith gained 106 against Seattle on Oct. 26, 2004. They only topped 100 yards rushing as a team once last season.

James gained at least 100 in 49 of his 95 games with Indianapolis. In those games, the Colts were 43-6.

“I told coach I hoped this wasn’t going to mess up my 100-yard games,” James said. “I am used to getting 100 yards a lot and I like to make plays and I like moving the ball on offense. They said that we were going to do that there.”

James knew there was little chance he would return to Indianapolis when the season ended in a loss to Pittsburgh in the AFC divisional round.

Colts president Bill Polian decided against keeping James by using the franchise tag on him for the second straight year. Such a move would have increased the player’s salary to more than $10 million next season.

That made James one of the most attractive players available when free agency opened Saturday.

“I’m happy for him,” Colts coach Tony Dungy told The Associated Press in Indianapolis, where he was watching the Big Ten championship game. “He was fantastic for us the time we were here, we wish we could have kept him but you can’t keep everyone.”

It was clear James wanted a fresh start. He was looking for a long-term deal, something the Colts weren’t willing to give him. After Indianapolis placed the franchise tag on him last year, Polian gave James’ agent permission to look for a trade but there were no takers — even when Polian said the asking price was less than a first-round pick.

But Dungy credited James with playing through his disappointment and turning in a Pro Bowl season.

“It is just part of the business,” James said. “I don’t have any hard feelings or any of that. This city is nice. You have a new dome, well not dome, but a convertible stadium. ... Hey, just drop the top and go play football.”

James said he was lobbied by Cardinals’ players, especially Boldin, who first approached him at a charity basketball game.

“He said he was tired of having everybody covering him,” James said. “He said if we could just get a back, the team wants to win.”

With plenty of salary cap room, the Cardinals also signed free agent offensive guard Milford Brown, a 13-game starter for Houston last season, and defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy, who started 15 games for the New York Giants last year.

“We’re serious about winning,” said Cardinals vice president Michael Bidwill. “The new stadium allows us to do some things that we haven’t been able to do before.”