Ranking every Arizona Cardinals starting quarterback from 1993 to 2022

5 - Josh McCown

A career journeyman, Josh McCown’s four seasons in the desert was the longest stint he’d spent with the other eight teams he signed with between 2006 and 2019. He achieved a 10-12 record with the Arizona Cardinals, and while his career never panned out here, it was also far from the worst on this list. 

4 - Jake Plummer

A fan favorite yet highly overrated quarterback, Jake Plummer started 82 games for the Arizona Cardinals, winning 30 of them. But, he also led the Cards to their first playoff win in 50 seasons, and that’s probably why many in the Red Sea look fondly on a guy who tossed 90 touchdown passes, 114 interceptions, and he posted a 69.0 passer rating during his time in the desert.

3 - Kyler Murray

While Kyler Murray struggled and had maturity issues in 2022, it shouldn’t define his first four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. The former first overall pick still earned Rookie of the Year honors, a pair of Pro Bowl nods, and he even led the Cards back to the playoffs following the 2021 season. 

2 - Carson Palmer

Carson Palmer came to the desert during his career twilight, but he played well in five seasons with the club, finishing with a 38-21-1 record, 105 touchdown passes, 57 interceptions, and a 91.1 passer rating. He also led the Arizona Cardinals to the NFC Championship Game, one of just two quarterbacks to accomplish the feat. Palmer also earned an honorable mention on my Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals All-Time Starting Roster. 

1 - Kurt Warner

And of course, no one else will even come close to topping this list. Kurt Warner is the only quarterback listed to lead the Cardinals to the Super Bowl not only in the past 30 seasons, but in franchise history. He was initially supposed to come in and eventually hand the reins over to Matt Leinart, but when the former first round pick flopped, Warner gave fans everywhere a lot to cheer for.

(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)