After years of mediocrity - only two playoff appearances in the last decade - the Arizona Cardinals are a team on the rise. In large part from the injection of youth from male model fill-in Kliff Kingsbury and one of the best college quarterbacks of all-time in Kyler Murray. The Cardinals are finally getting some respect around the league, but which player on the team is most universally recognized as the face of the franchise. There are only three true option to choose from: Deandre Hopkins, Kyler Murray, and Larry Fitzgerald.
DeAndre Hopkins
From the three players on this list, Hopkins is the one smack-dab in the middle of his prime, playing at the peak of his powers. He is the biggest star on this list as arguably the best wide-receiver in football. From his talent to his long dreads, everyone knows who Hopkins is. The only problem - he doesn't have the cache in the valley as he does around the league. No one can deny that Hopkins is better at his job right now than a Kyler Murray or Larry Fitzgerald are at theirs. But Hopkins put in all that work in Houston, not Arizona. If he was a quarterback, then maybe he would immediately be the face of the Cardinals, like how Brady immediately intercepted that title from Jameis Winston. But the fact that Hopkins plays the same position as Fitzgerald - arguably the greatest Arizona player ever, regardless of sport - pretty much disqualifies him from the discussion.
Larry Fitzgerald
As one of the few Arizona hall-of-famers to be drafted in any sport and stay in the valley throughout their whole career, it's no surprise why he's called 'Larry Legend.' Second on the all-time receptions list, Fitzgerald has shown what it means to be a consummate professional on and off the field. With the talent to rival anyone all-time great before him, Fitz has the full package that every general manager yearns for. Never had to worry about Fitz being a diva, or question his work ethic. He was the true leader of the Cardinals for over a decade from a position that doesn't usually have the best reputation for producing leaders. Fitz has easily been the face of the team for a decade or more, but with declining skills and not even being the best player at his own position...can he still be looked at as the face of the franchise?
Kyler Murray
Kyler Murray was so spectacular in college that the Cardinals decided to draft him with the #1 overall pick, one year after moving up in the draft to take another QB. Murray's talent was unmatched coming out and he put it on full-display his rookie year - earning him rookie of the year honors. Murray brought a new life, a new excitement back to Cardinals football that hasn't been there since Kurt Warner was running the show. Murray's pinpoint accuracy, plus ability to escape the pocket and pick up first downs with his feet made Murray must watch TV. Everyone is anxious to see what the young stud can do in his sophomore season, but does one incredible year with your team missing the playoffs give you enough brownie points to be considered the face of the franchise?
Conclusion
DeAndre Hopkins is the best player out of the three, but he hasn't been on the team long-enough, and he has arguably the greatest Arizona athlete ever playing the same position as him, so I can't justify him as the face of the franchise. That leaves just old-man Fitz and baby-faced Kyler Murray as the only two options left. I believe for the start of the 2020 season Fitzgerald is still the face of the Arizona Cardinals. He's had so many years of elite level play wasted because of mediocre quarterbacks. But Fitz never complained and never left. With this potentially being his last season, he'll enter the year as the most recognizable Arizona Cardinal, but if Kyler Murray improves on what he did his rookie year and the team takes a step forward - Kyler Murray will be the face of the franchise by the end of the season.
