Top 50 Arizona Cardinals
The most tenured team in the National Football League, the Arizona Cardinals have taken a long road, traversed multiple cities, and seen more hard times than good.
Formed in 1898 as the Morgan Athletic Club, they would be renamed the Racine Normals for two years before becoming the Racing Cardinals. Twenty years later, they were charter members of the National Football League as the Chicago Cardinals.
In the Windy City, the franchise won two titles, the first in 1925, disputed by the Pottsville Maroons, but there was no NFL Championship Game back then. The second title is undisputed, as with their "Million Dollar Backfield," they won the Championship Game in 1947, the last title they have won.
Taking a backseat to the Bears in Chicago, the Cardinals relocated to St. Louis in 1961. They only made the playoffs thrice in St. Louis and relocated again in 1987, becoming the Phoenix Cardinals. That name would change again to the Arizona Cardinals, and with Kurt Warner as their Quarterback, they made it to their first Super Bowl in the 2008 Season. They did not win but appear to have a permanent home in the desert.
Note: Football lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.
This list is up to the end of the 2024 Season.
The defensive identity of the Arizona Cardinals during their historic Super Bowl XLIII run was forged in the disruptive energy of a third-round draft steal out of Florida State. Drafted 64th overall in the 2004 NFL Draft due to pre-draft character concerns that dropped his stock, Darnell Dockett arrived in the desert with a massive chip on his shoulder. He…
Kurt Warner's early fame was cemented by the sensational "Greatest Show on Turf" in St. Louis, but his resurgence in Arizona confirmed his Hall of Fame caliber. After a rocky transition year with the Giants in 2005, the experienced quarterback joined a Cardinals team desperately seeking stability at quarterback. What started as a bumpy, uncertain period in Arizona eventually evolved…
In the same draft that delivered star running back Ottis Anderson to St. Louis, the Cardinals landed a fourth-round steal out of Henderson State named Roy Green. Drafted as a defensive back, "Jet Stream" Green began his career playing safety and returning kicks, famously tying an NFL record in 1979 with a 106-yard kickoff return touchdown against Dallas. His elite…
Selected in the first round (16th overall) of the 1982 NFL Draft out of UCLA, Luis Sharpe was the second offensive tackle off the board behind future Hall of Famer Mike Munchak. That draft investment paid off immediately, as the Cuban-born edge protector stepped into the starting lineup and anchored the left side of the Cardinals' offensive line for 13…
Few wide receivers in modern NFL history have set such a physical and relentless tone as the second-round pick from Florida State. Drafted 54th overall in 2003, Anquan Boldin quickly transformed the Arizona receiving corps’ identity. With strong hands, a running back's build, and an unwavering unwillingness to be tackled on first contact, Boldin set a toughness standard that shaped…
When New England traded Chandler Jones in March 2016 after his Pro Bowl and Super Bowl victory, Arizona gained a pass rusher near his peak. The Syracuse alum joined the desert team and quickly made the edge his domain, transforming from a solid defender into one of the most disruptive, high-strip-sack players in NFL history. Jones, standing 6-foot-5 and weighing…
Selected in the eighth round (189th overall) of the 1970 NFL Draft out of Auburn, Tom Banks arrived in St. Louis as a completely overlooked prospect. A severe injury forced him to miss his entire rookie season, but once he stepped onto the field, he transformed into the cerebral, uncompromising anchor of one of the most dominant offensive lines in…
Before modern spread offenses made the deep pass a regular part of the game, only a few receivers could truly stretch the field like the track star who remained in his college hometown. Mel Gray, a world-class sprinter at the University of Missouri who matched national high school and conference records in the 100-yard dash, chose to stay local when…
Calais Campbell, standing 6 feet 8 inches and weighing over 300 pounds, entered the league as a second-round draft pick from Miami in 2008. His career post-Arizona earned him major national awards such as the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year and an All-Decade team selection, but it was his nine-year tenure in Arizona that laid the groundwork for…
Drafted in the 14th round of the 1960 NFL Draft from Dayton, Bob DeMarco arrived in St. Louis with modest expectations but soon became a key part of the team. After playing a few games as a rookie guard in 1961, he took over as the starting center in 1962 and kept that role for the rest of the decade.…
An undrafted free agent pickup after being released by the Los Angeles Rams, Jim Bakken signed with St. Louis in 1962 and proceeded to anchor the franchise's kicking game for 17 seasons. His arrival coincided with a rapid evolution in special teams tactics, turning a former Wisconsin defensive back into one of the sport's pioneering full-time placekicking specialists. Operating with…
In an era where fullbacks were viewed strictly as lead-blocking battering rams, a fifth-round pick out of Stephen F. Austin fundamentally changed how NFL offenses weaponized the backfield. Selected 115th overall in the 1990 NFL Draft, Larry Centers spent his first two seasons operating in near obscurity. Once the coaching staff recognized his elite hands and open-field route running, Centers…
Drafted in the eighth round of the 1955 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts from Oklahoma A&M, Dale Meinert originally took a different route to professional football. He moved north to Canada, playing three seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos under coach Pop Ivy and earning two Grey Cups as an offensive lineman. When Ivy became head coach of the Chicago…
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Sonny Randle was selected in the 19th round (218th overall) of the 1958 NFL Draft as a "futures" pick from Virginia. During his final college year, he focused on improving his track speed before joining the Chicago team in 1959. As a rookie, his playing time was limited, but he dedicated the offseason to refining his route running, practicing against…
Securing a genuine defensive cornerstone in the 18th round of the NFL Draft is extremely rare, but in 1963, the St. Louis Cardinals achieved this by choosing Georgia Tech’s Larry Stallings as the 241st pick overall. Despite never playing linebacker in college, Stallings was inserted into the starting lineup as a rookie and rapidly adapted, holding the left outside linebacker…
Pat Harder, drafted second overall in the 1944 NFL Draft from Wisconsin, paused his football career to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. He debuted with the Chicago Cardinals in 1946, joining a legendary backfield as the power-running fullback in Chicago's renowned "Million Dollar Backfield" with Paul Christman, Charley Trippi, and Marshall Goldberg. At 5 feet…
In the past, small-school quarterbacks often drew first-round draft attention, but a prolific passer from Portland State showed that strong arm talent can succeed anywhere. Neil Lomax set NCAA records in Mouse Davis’s renowned Run and Shoot offense, showcasing his arm strength. He entered the 1981 NFL Draft, where the St. Louis Cardinals picked him in the second round (33rd…
Following in a long line of elite defensive backs out of Southern California, Tim McDonald brought instantly noticeable hitting power and instincts to the professional ranks. Selected in the second round (34th overall) of the 1987 NFL Draft by St. Louis, the physical safety spent his rookie year learning the ropes before taking over the starter's role during the franchise's…
Long Beach State was hardly known as a hotbed for NFL superstars, but when the St. Louis Cardinals selected Terry Metcalf in the third round of the 1973 NFL Draft, they landed one of the most explosive, dynamic playmakers in football history. Nicknamed "The Franchise," Metcalf arrived in St. Louis and immediately revolutionized the all-purpose running back role under head…
