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5 Best Wide Receivers in Arizona Cardinals History

Mark J&period; Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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5 Best Wide Receivers in Arizona Cardinals History

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zach Kaplan | Last updated Sep 25, 2026 5:25 PM ET

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The Cardinals have been a football franchise since their Chicago days in the 1920s, and over the past 100 years have built a solid resumé of football talent.

At no position is that more apparent, perhaps, than wide receiver, where the Cardinals have shown a knack for developing and nurturing top wideouts, building some fearsome air games over the years.

Let’s wind back the clock and look at the five best wide receivers in Cardinals history.

5. Pat Tilley (1976-1986)

Tilley will always be known as one of the most reliable receivers in Cardinals history, a short-to-medium distance threat that helped the Cardinals move the chains often.

Tilley led the Cardinals in receiving from 1978 to 1982 as Mel Gray’s target share decreased, and had his best season in 1981 where he caught 66 passes for 1,040 yards.

4. Mel Gray (1971-1982)

While Gray trails Tilley on the all-time receiving yards leaderboard, having more to do with their contrasting play styles (Tilley as the reliable chain-mover, Gray the speedy deep-ball threat), Gray had arguably the more flashy career.

Gray made the Pro Bowl in four straight seasons from 1974 to 1977, getting a healthy target share and averaging a ridiculous 19+ yards per reception in each. Spending all 12 professional seasons in St. Louis, Gray put up an impressive statistical record that’s hard to ignore.

3. Anquan Boldin (2003-2009)

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin runs with the ball.Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Boldin had an awesome career with the Cardinals, going from a rookie to cementing himself as one of the toughest wide receivers in the league. In his rookie debut, Boldin recorded 10 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns, and earned the Offensive Rookie of the Year award after hauling in 1,377 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in an immense first campaign.

Boldin returned to form in his third and fourth seasons in the pros, recording 1,402 receiving yards in 2005 and 1,203 receiving yards in a 2006 Pro Bowl campaign. He was the #2 wideout on the Cardinals team that came seconds from winning the Super Bowl, and his 586 receptions over a career rank second in franchise history.

As one of two on the outside with Larry Fitzgerald, Boldin cemented an excellent Cardinals legacy that landed him at the top of many Cardinals leaderboards.

2. Roy Green (1979-1990)

Before Travis Hunter, there was Roy Green, who lined up at wide receiver, cornerback, kick returner and emergency quarterback over a wildly impressive career. It was his mid-career transition to become a wide receiver full-time that really vaulted him, however, as Green led the NFL in touchdowns in 1983 and receiving yards in 1984.

Green retired with franchise records for receptions and receiving yards with the Cardinals, posting 522 receptions and nearly 8,500 yards during his time with the team.

1. Larry Fitzgerald (2004-2020)

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald leaves the field after finishing the last home game of the season at State Farm Stadium.© Cheryl Evans/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

What more could be said about Fitzgerald that hasn’t been said already? He more than doubled Green’s franchise record for receiving yards, finishing with a tally of 17,492 receiving yards that doesn’t just rank first in Cardinals history but second in NFL history.

Fitzgerald was the No. 1 option on the magical Cardinals team that stormed to Super Bowl XLIII and did his absolute best to vault the Cardinals over the Steelers, hauling in seven passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns, chief among those was what was then a go-ahead, 64-yard touchdown pass from Kurt Warner to put the Cardinals up 23-20 with 2:47 to go.

While the Steelers stormed back, Fitzgerald’s Super Bowl was the icing on the cake of an incredible individual effort in the postseason where Fitzgerald caught 30 passes for 546 yards and seven touchdowns over four games.

Fitzgerald isn’t just the best Cardinals wide receiver of all time, but he’s easily one of the best wide receivers in NFL history and an absolute icon of the modern game.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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