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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Jess Root

Larry Fitzgerald, 4 other former Cardinals among 100 best NFL players of all-time

The list of the best 100 players all-time in NFL history is complete. Jerry Rice, Tom Brady and Lawrence Taylor top the list. A few former players with connections to the Arizona Cardinals made it in the top 100.

Naturally, receiver Larry Fitzgerald made the list. However, four other players who played for the Cardinals at some point in their career make it as well.

Who are they

WR Larry Fitzgerald

Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Fitz comes in at No. 65. Cardinals fans will say he deserves to be much higher. He has played his entire career with the Cardinals and is No. 2 all-time in receptions and receiving yards. Only Jerry Rice, the No. 1 player of all time, has more.

RB Adrian Peterson

Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports

Peterson played only part of one season for the Cardinals, in 2017. He played 10 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and then signed with the New Orleans Saints. He played four games in 2017 before being traded to the Cardinals. He played six games and rushed for 448 yards and two touchdowns before he injured his neck.

Believed to be washed up, he is still playing at a high level, now for the Washington Redskins. He entered this season No. 8 all-time in rushing yards.

Jim Thorpe

Tony Tomsic-USA TODAY NETWORK

Thorpe comes in at No. 45. Among the teams he played for were the Chicago Cardinals. He is considered one of the greatest athletes ever. I didn’t know he played for the Cardinals at any point.

Night Train Lane

(AP Photo/Preston Stroup)

Lane is a Hall of Famer and a member of the Cardinals Ring of Honor. He had 68 career interceptions, 30 of which came when he was a member of the Cardinals. While with the team, he made three straight Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro.

Emmitt Smith

(Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Smith will always be remembered as a Dallas Cowboy but he finished his career with the Cardinals, playing two years with Arizona. He wasn’t the player he was in Dallas but he did have a respectable 937 rushing yards his final season, which was exactly the number of yards he had his rookie season.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

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