5 Greatest Players in the History of the Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are the oldest franchise in NFL history. As you might expect, they have had no shortage of legendary players in their franchise’s history. Trying to pick out a short list of the best players to ever don Cardinal red is difficult, but by comparing team success and individual success along with longevity, I was able to pick out what I believe are the five greatest players in franchise history.

There were several excellent players I had to leave off of this list, like Carson Palmer or Dan Dierdorf, so apologies if you don’t fully agree with the list below.

No 5. Greatest Cardinal: Kurt Warner, QB (2005-2009)

Former Cardinals QB Kurt Warner (13) – Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Many will remember Kurt Warner for his years with the St. Louis Rams as a member of the so-called “Greatest Show on Turf.” The Hall of Famer won an MVP and a Super Bowl during his Rams years. However, Warner actually holds the distinction of being the only quarterback in Cardinals franchise history to lead his team to the Super Bowl. Warner led the Cardinals to Super Bowl XLIII with a solid performance in the regular season and playoffs. Despite the loss in the big game and despite his short tenure with the team, Warner’s 2008 season will be remembered by Cardinals fans for taking his team to their only Super Bowl appearance.

No 4. Greatest Cardinal: Jackie Smith, TE (1963-1977)

Former Cardinals TE Jackie Smith (81) – Fred Waters/AP

Jackie Smith, despite spending all but one year of his Hall of Fame career with the Cardinals, is arguably most famous for his dropped touchdown in Super Bowl XIII with the Dallas Cowboys. His Cardinals career, however, was illustrious. Smith, to this day, has the third highest total of career receiving yards in franchise history, and the most among franchise Tight Ends. Among all Tight Ends in NFL History, Smith also holds the 10th most career receiving yards. Although Smith never made it to a Super Bowl with the Cardinals, he is remembered as one of the team’s greatest offensive weapons.

No 3. Greatest Cardinal: Larry Wilson, S (1960-1972)

Former Cardinals S Larry Wilson (8) – Tony Tomsic/AP

Larry Wilson, who spent over a decade with the Cardinals as a player, is the franchise’s all-time leader in interceptions, with 52. Despite never once making the playoffs in his NFL career, which ended with a Hall of Fame induction, Wilson was seen as the team’s icon throughout the 1960s.

After his playing career ended, Wilson had an incredibly long tenure as a coach and as an executive with the Cardinals, which stretched from 1973 until he retired after decades with the organization in 2002. In terms of longevity alone, it is hard to imagine someone who embodies Arizona as a franchise more than Wilson. Despite his passing in 2020, he is still revered as one of the franchise’s most beloved players.

No 2. Greatest Cardinal: Aeneas Williams, CB (1991-2000)

Former Cardinals CB Aeneas Williams (35) – Vincent Laforet/Getty Images

Yet another Cardinal who made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Williams dominated throughout the 1990s. He sits behind only the aforementioned Larry Wilson in franchise interceptions but holds the franchise record for interceptions returned for touchdowns.

A well-rounded defender, Williams also ranks in the top ten in franchise history for career tackles. Despite only appearing in the playoffs with Arizona once, Williams managed three interceptions in two playoff games, contributing to a Wild Card Game victory against Dallas in the 1998 season. Williams was an absolute monster during his Cardinals tenure, and due to his postseason success, I have him at number two in my ranking.

No 1 Greatest Cardinal: Larry Fitzgerald, WR (2004-2020)

Former Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald (11) – Getty Images

Going into making this list, the only real question marks were the #2-4 picks. The #1 was clear before I even started writing this. Larry Fitzgerald is the face of the Arizona Cardinals franchise, and despite the other legendary players on this list, it almost doesn’t even feel close. Fitzgerald, a 2004 Cardinals draft pick, who spent well over a decade with the Cardinals, was a massive piece of two separate long postseason runs.

During the Cardinals’ 2008 Super Bowl run, Fitzgerald was Kurt Warner’s number-one target, catching seven touchdowns along the way, including two in the Super Bowl. Despite the game’s outcome, Fitzgerald was the centerpiece of arguably the greatest play in Arizona history, a go-ahead touchdown strike from Warner with less than 3 minutes to play in the Super Bowl. 

Then, nearly a decade later, in a 2016 NFC Divisional overtime thriller against the Green Bay Packers, Fitzgerald delivered yet another iconic play by taking a Carson Palmer pass 75 yards on the first play of overtime, then scoring a game-winning touchdown to send the Cardinals to the NFC Championship game just two plays later.

Fitzgerald leads the team in several all-time categories. Receptions, touchdowns, receiving yards, and even games played. When it comes to the Cardinals, it is hard to picture any player other than Fitzgerald. He is the embodiment of the Arizona Cardinals– Incredibly talented, and came very close to the glory of winning a Super Bowl ring but fell just short. 

The Future

Just 20 years ago, Larry Fitzgerald was not even an Arizona Cardinal, let alone the greatest player in the franchise’s history. In that short time, “Fitz” became the face of a franchise that has oftentimes fallen flat in terms of playoff success. In another 20 years, maybe Fitzgerald will no longer be the unanimous greatest Cardinal– Maybe in that time, quarterback Kyler Murray will have led the team to their first-ever Super Bowl, which may just be enough for him to top this list in the future.