Maybe Arizona is where stud running backs go after dominating elsewhere. Former Indianapolis Colts running back Edgerrin James did it, and so did the NFL's all-time leading rusher, Emmitt Smith.
Smith put a cap on his Hall of Fame career by playing two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. While he's obviously remembered for dominating with the Dallas Cowboys, his two seasons in Arizona are often overlooked.
Here is a list of five NFL players you may have forgotten who suited up with the Cardinals at some point in their careers, including yet another superstar running back.
1. Emmitt Smith
Emmitt Smith left the Cowboys and played two seasons with the Cardinals to end his Hall of Fame career
Emmitt Smith played 13 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and won four rushing titles, three Super Bowls, and an NFL MVP. And even if he didn't play the final two seasons of his Hall of Fame career with the Cardinals, he'd still be No. 1 on the all-time rushing list.
After taking Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 1990 with 937 rushing yards, the former Florida Gator recorded 11 straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons with the Cowboys. He ran for a career-high 1,713 yards in 1992 and then earned MVP honors in 1993 after rushing for a league-high 1,486 yards in 14 games.
Smith finished his Cowboys career with 17,162 rushing yards, 436 more than Walter Payton, who is second on the all-time list with 16,726 yards.
Smith's two seasons in the desert are a bit of a blur. After his days in Dallas were done, Smith signed with the Cardinals in 2003. But during a trip to Texas to face his former team, he broke his left shoulder blade in the second quarter of a 24-7 loss. He ultimately missed six games and finished the season with 90 carries for 256 yards and two touchdowns.
In 2004, Smith returned to form, playing in 15 games and rushing for 937 yards, bringing his career total to 18,355, and nine touchdowns. He retired after the '04 campaign and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
2. Jim McMahon
Jim McMahon played for six teams in his career, but it's his time with the Cardinals that's forgotten
Jim McMahon was the fifth overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft, selected by the Chicago Bears after a standout college career at BYU. The "punky QB" led the Bears to their lone Super Bowl title in the 1985 season after the Bears went 15-1 during the regular season. They then thumped the New England Patriots in the title game, 46-10, at the time the biggest blowout in Super Bowl history.
McMahon played seven seasons with the Bears, going 46-15 in the regular season during that stretch and completing 57.8% of his passes for 11,203 yards and 67 touchdowns.
The Chicago Bears traded McMahon to the San Diego Chargers after the 1988 season. After his time with the Bears, McMahon played for five different teams in eight years. He won another Super Bowl as a backup QB with the Green Bay Packers, and also played for the Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Cardinals.
McMahon's time with the Cardinals is easily the most obscure. He played in two games for Arizona in 1994, starting one. He went 0-1 and completed 23 of his 43 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown in a Cardinals uniform.
3. Adrian Peterson
Adrian Peterson played six games for the Cardinals after dominating with the Vikings
As a member of the Minnesota Vikings, Adrian Peterson proved he was one of the best running backs the NFL has ever seen.
Selected seventh overall in the 2007 NFL Draft, Peterson played for the Vikings until 2016. He made a quick impression by earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors after rushing for 1,341 yards and 12 touchdowns in 14 games.
Peterson rushed for 1,000 yards in seven seasons in Minnesota. In 2012, he led the NFL with 2,097 rushing yards, the second-highest single-season total in history, and was named the league's MVP. He remains the last non-quarterback to win the award. Peterson rushed for 14,918 yards in his career and is fifth on the NFL's all-time rushing list.
In April 2017, Peterson signed a two-year deal with the New Orleans Saints, but they traded him to the Cardinals after just four games. In his first game with Arizona, he ran for 134 yards and scored twice in a victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Peterson started six games for the Cardinals and rushed 129 times for 448 yards and two touchdowns. A neck injury sidelined him for the final three games of the season, and he was released in March 2018.
He closed out his career with short stints with the team now known as the Washington Commanders, Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans, and Seattle Seahawks.
4. Boomer Esiason
Boomer Esiason started eight games for Arizona after stints with the Bengals and the Jets
Boomer Esiason played the first nine seasons of his 14-year NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals, who took him in the second round of the 1984 NFL Draft.
Esiason guided the Bengals to a berth in Super Bowl 23, where they fell short against the San Francisco 49ers. During that '88 regular season, the Maryland alum made the second of his four career Pro Bowls. He led the team to a 12-4 record and threw for 3,572 yards and 28 touchdowns en route to winning NFL MVP.
After nine seasons with the Bengals, Esiason was traded to the New York Jets, with whom he played three seasons. In his first year with his new team, Esiason returned to the Pro Bowl for the final time in his career, going 8-8 and throwing for 3,421 yards and 16 touchdowns.
The Jets released him after the 1995 season, and he soon after signed with the Cardinals as a free agent. Esiason played just one year with the Cards, starting eight games, going 3-5. He completed 56.0% of his passes for 2,293 yards and 11 touchdowns against 14 interceptions.
After his short stint with the Cardinals, Esiason returned to the Bengals for one final season.
5. Alan Faneca
Alan Faneca ended his Hall of Fame career with one final season with the Cardinals
Alan Faneca played the first 10 years of his Hall of Fame career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, leading a strong offensive line as the team's left guard. The 6-foot-5, 316-pound lineman registered nine Pro Bowl selections and was named an All-Pro eight times during his illustrious career.
Faneca started all 16 games each year from 2002 to 2010 and only missed two regular-season games during his 13 seasons in the NFL.
After his 10 seasons with the Steelers, Faneca signed with the New York Jets in 2008, inking a five-year deal that made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in league history at the time. He continued his dominant play by making two Pro Bowls before the Jets cut him in April 2010.
In 2011, Faneca inked a deal with Arizona. As he did for nine other seasons, Faneca started all 16 games. However, the Cardinals were the only team with which he didn't make the Pro Bowl. He retired after the season and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021.
