Greatest Players In Arizona Cardinals History
Thu, Jan 12, 2023
by
CapperTek
The Cardinals are a pretty well known NFL team who are based in Phoenix Arizona. In 2008, the Cardinals made a show stopping appearance at Super Bowl XLIII, thanks to their superstar quarterback Kurt Warner.
They influenced the NFL odds massively, and since then they have been a hot-to-trot team that everyone keeps their eyes on each season. If you are anything like us, you will have been keeping an eye on the Cardinals odds for this season for sure.
However, one thing that we must never forget is who the players are and who has had the biggest impact on the team. There are several superstar players who have changed the tides for the Cardinals over the course of history. It’s time we name them!
Who Are The Greatest Cardinals Players Of All Time?
There are several Cardinals players we consider to be the best of all time. Check out our top pics and let us know if we missed any you can think of!
Larry Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald has had a Super Bowl XLIII appearance, 11 pro bowl appearances, and had won 1 First-team All-Pro year, and the 2016 Walter Payton Man of the Year award. He also holds 2nd place for the all-time most receptions, as he made 1,432 catches!
He is considered to be the greatest Cardinal of all time, he was drafted in #04 as a wide receiver, and he left a massive mark on the team after 17 years with them. He played all 17 seasons, and played with a beautiful morality, all about the game and showing love.
He did only see one Super Bowl, but he had an incredible record when it came to receptions, he only made 29 drops over 17 seasons, so, these stats show he actually caught the ball 97.9% of the time. Actually, he has more tackles than he has drops, with 41 total tackles!
Ollie Matson
Matson was First-team All-Pro 5 times, made 6 Pro Bowl appearances, and is an NFL Hall of Fame member, with 12,844 rushing, returning, and reception yards.
He played for the ‘Chicago Cardinals’ from 1952 until 1958. While he never played on the team with a win percentage above .500, he was incredibly productive as a player. He was an NFL athlete, and he waited to sign up with the Cardinals, so he could compete in the Olympics in 1952.
He made 5,173 rushing yards, 222 receptions for 3,285 yards, 40 rushing touchdowns, 23 touchdown receptions, and 9 touchdowns on special teams, and he also even made a touchdown on a fumble recovery!
He was a legendary running back and a player that really makes fans today think more about what will come of the NFL Draft Analysis each year. Will there ever be another Ollie Matson?
Larry Wilson
Larry Wilson is an NFL Hall of Famer, and made 8 Pro Bowl appearances, and had 6 First-Team All-Pro years. He was a defensive back for the Cardinals from 1960 until 1972. He frustrated oppositional quarterbacks for years on end, and one of his most epic stats was the 5 First-team All-Pro years.
He played all 13 seasons non-stop in Saint Louis, and he made 800 interception yards, 52 interceptions, and 5 touchdowns over his career, he was such an effective defender and goes down in history for his epic play.
Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner made 4 Pro Bowl appearances, 2 First-team All-Pro years, is an NFL Hall of Famer, won the 2008 Walter Payton Man of the Year, and is a St. Louis Rams XXXIV Super Bowl Champion and made a Super Bowl XLIII appearance.
He is the only other player bar Larry Fitzgerald that we are listing today who managed to get the Cardinals to a Super Bowl. He won a Super Bowl with the Rams as well, but the more impressive factor about him was how his passing rate was at 93.7%
He threw 32,344 passing yards and made 208 passing touchdowns over his career. When he won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2008, it just proved his strength of heart was as powerful as his stats.
Patrick Peterson
Peterson made 3 First-team All-Pro years and has 8 Pro Bowl invitations. He was a cornerback from 2011 until 2020, and he now plays for the Vikings.
He played 3 First-team All-Pro seasons with some fearsome competition from Richard Sherman, Stephon Gilmore, and even once from Malcolm Butler.
Dan Dierdorf
Dierdorf is an NFL Hall of Famer, with 6 Pro Bowl invitations, and 5 First-team All-Pro years under his belt. He played as an offensive lineman for the Cardinals from 1971 until 1983.
He weighed in at 275 lbs, and was 6ft3 tall, so he was certainly the last person on the field you wanted to mess with.
In ‘75, the Cardinals set a record only allowing 8 sacks in 14 games. Most impressively Dierdord didn’t miss a single game for 7 seasons, and he only ever took time off when he broke his jaw in 1977!