Arizona Cardinals Top 5 Quarterbacks of All Time

(last updated on February 17, 2026)

Because of the Cardinals home in Arizona, some fans might not realize how long the franchise has been around. The Chicago Cardinals originated in 1920 and were there until 1959; they actually won two NFL titles in the Windy City (1925 and 1947). In 1960, the Cards moved to St. Louis and stayed through 1987. Ever since 1988, the Cardinals have been in Arizona and were actually known as the Phoenix Cardinals from 1988 to 1993. This organization doesn’t have the richest winning tradition … as their 596-826-41 all-time record suggests. These redbirds have only made six playoff appearances since their relocation to the desert. With all of that said, this team has had some pretty decent signal-callers in their history. Beware of the cactus and rattlesnakes as we head out to Arizona and dust off the top quarterbacks of all time for the Cardinals. 

Kyler Murray is the only athlete ever to be drafted in the first round of two different sports. The A’s drafted him ninth overall in the 2018 MLB Draft, and the Cardinals drafted him first overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. Murray chose football and has already become one of the greatest quarterbacks in Arizona Cardinals history. In Kyler’s four healthy seasons, he has thrown for at least 3,700 yards and 20 touchdowns. His career completion % (67.1) and passer rating (92.2) are exceedingly impressive as well. 2020 was statistically his best season with 3,971 passing yards, 26 passing TDs, and 819 rushing yards. A dual-threat QB, Murray has already scampered for 3,193 yards, 32 rushing TDs, and 180 rushing first downs in his young career. As a team, this multi-sport talent got the Cards to the postseason in 2021, but they lost in the Wild Card round to the eventual champion Rams. Kyler Murray is an extraordinary athlete, and he has already etched his name with the top quarterbacks ever for the Arizona Cardinals.

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Neil Lomax … the name even sounds like a villain in an 80s movie. That’s fitting because Neil Lomax was the Cardinals quarterback for much of that decade and is one of the greatest quarterbacks in Cardinals history. The then-St. Louis Cardinals drafted Lomax in the second round of the 1981 draft, and after limited playing time as a rookie, he became the starting QB in 1982. In that strike-shortened season, he got the Cards to the playoffs (one of only three times the franchise did it in St. Louis). Then for the following six years, this Portland State product threw for 2,500+ yards and 13+ touchdowns each season. Neil hit career highs in 1984 with completions (345), completion % (61.6), passing yards (4,614),TD tosses (28), and passer rating (92.5). Later in 1987 he led the league in completions (275), passing yards (3,387), and YPG (282.3). In the all-time Cardinals rankings, this QB is still second in both passing yards (22,771) and passing touchdowns (136). Like most Cardinals QBs, major team success eluded Neil Lomax, but his numbers show that he was one of the best Cardinals quarterbacks of all time. 

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Talk about having some pedigree … a USC Trojan, a Heisman winner, and the top overall pick of the draft. That is the blind resume of Carson Palmer, one of the top quarterbacks ever for the Arizona Cardinals. After nine years divided between the Bengals and Raiders, Palmer spent the last five years of his possibly-bound-for-Canton career with the Arizona Cardinals, and he didn’t disappoint the Phoenix faithful. In Carson’s three healthy years as the Cards starting QB, he never did worse than 4,200 yards in the air, 24 touchdown strikes, and 342 completions. His regular-season record in the desert was 38-21 (by far the best winning % of any QB in team history). 2015 was this man’s banner year for Arizona as the team went 13-3 and reached the NFC Championship Game. CP was the MVP runner-up with a 63.7 completion %, 4,671 passing yards, 35 TDs to only 11 INTs, a league-leading 8.7 Y/A, and a career-best 104.6 passer rating. This man ranks in the NFL’s all-time top 20 for several major passing categories, so he will definitely get HOF consideration. As far as closing acts go, Carson Palmer had a great one in Arizona, and that makes him one of the best quarterbacks in Cardinals history.

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We all know about Kurt Warner’s accomplishments with the Rams, but he is also the only quarterback in Cardinals history to get the team to a Super Bowl (and they had the lead in the final minute). That monumental feat easily secures Kurt Warner’s spot with the top quarterbacks ever for the Arizona Cardinals. Kurt was originally brought to the desert as an afterthought. The Cards even drafted USC folk hero Matt Leinert in the first round of the 2006 draft. Unphased, from 2005-2009 this former Arena Leaguer put up 15,843 passing yards in Arizona; that’s actually higher than his total with the Rams. In that magical 2008 season, a 37-year-old Warner found the fountain of middle age with a 67.1 completion %, 4,583 yards passing, 30 TD tosses, and a 96.9 passer rating. The former SB MVP was phenomenal in that playoff run with a 4 TD, 0 INT game to beat the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, and then in a last-minute Super Bowl XLIII loss to the Steelers, he went for 377 yards, 3 TD passes, and a 72 completion %. Believe it or not, he topped those numbers in a 2009 Wild Card win over Green Bay: 379 yards, 5 TDs, an 87.88 completion %, and a 154.1 passer rating. Kurt Warner got the Arizona Cardinals to within seconds of the promised land, and that makes him one of the greatest Cardinals quarterbacks of all time.

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The odds are most NFL fans are probably not familiar with the man who is the all-time leader in some major passing stats for the Cardinals. Jim Hart, one of the top quarterbacks of all time for the Cardinals, leads the franchise in passing yards (34,639), passing TDs (209), completions (2,590), and game-winning drives (23). Hart played as a St. Louis Cardinal from 1966-1983. Although his numbers will never be confused with Dan Marino, Hart did have 2,000+ passing yards 11 times in an era of more conservative offensive football. Yes, the team struggled for most of his tenure, but the Cards went a collective 31-11 from ‘74 to ‘76 and twice reached the playoffs to break a quarter-century drought in the heartland. This man earned four Pro Bowl trips and has the second-highest AV (131) in team history (behind only Larry Fitzgerald). When you lead a franchise that has been around since 1920 in multiple all-time passing categories like Jim Hart, then you get a place with the best quarterbacks in Cardinals history.

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This entry was posted on Monday, April 7th, 2025 at 8:34 pm and is filed under NFL History. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.