Arizona Cardinals Hall of Shame: Worst breakup and more

After celebrating the Cardinals by highlighting their players who someday could be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, we flip the script to give you Arizona's Hall of Shame. .

Worst breakup: Anquan Boldin

In the early part of his career, Boldin was an absolute beast for the Cardinals. But things started to go off the rails for the two sides in the 2008 playoffs, when Boldin got into an argument on the sidelines with offensive coordinator Todd Haley. 

The next season, Boldin refused to take a pay cut, leading the Cardinals to deal him to the Baltimore Ravensfor a third-round pick. 

Boldin would go on to win a Super Bowl with the Ravens. The Cardinals only had wide receiver Andre Roberts, a middling player, to show for the Boldin deal with Baltimore, a potential Hall of Famer.

Worst draft pick: Defensive end Andre Wadsworth

The Cardinals selected Wadsworth No. 3 overall in the 1998 NFL Draft, following the 1-2 selections of quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf by the Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers, respectively. Leaf is the only reason Wadsworth isn't considered the  biggest bust of the class.

Wadsworth played three years in the NFL, recording five of his eight career sacks as a rookie. He had major knee injury issues that limited him during his brief career. After the 2000 season, the Cardinals released him and Wadsworth never played in the NFL again.

That draft included many stars, casting a shadow over Arizona's pick. The selection after Wadsworth was cornerback Charles Woodson (Raiders), a future Hall of Famer. Another future Hall of Famer, wideout Randy Moss (Vikings at No. 21), also went in the first round, as did HOF guard Alan Faneca (Steelers, No. 26).  

Worst free-agent signing: RB Edgerrin James 

Two Hall of Fame running backs — James and Emmitt Smith — made briefs stops in the desert with the Cardinals. James, however, earns the title as the team's worst free-agent signing.

In 2006, he agreed to a four-year, $30 million deal with the team after leaving the Indianapolis Colts. 

James only played three of those four seasons with the team and while he eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in two of them, there was nothing impactful about his play. He averaged less than 3.9 yards per carry in each of his seasons with the Cardinals while looking like a shell of his former self. 

Worst loss: Super Bowl XLIII

Powered by an impressive offense led by QB Kurt Warner and WRs Larry Fitzgerald and Boldin, the Cardinals finally made their first Super Bowl in 2008. 

Stunningly, underdog Arizona took the lead against the Steelers late in the fourth quarter on a long TD pass to Fitzgerald. On the ensuing Pittsburgh drive, Arizona had the Steelers backed up inside their 10-yard line with under two minutes to play, but was unable to stop Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes. 

The Steelers methodically moved down the field for the winning score in the final seconds -- a toe-tapping six-yard catch in the end zone by Holmes.

At the end of the first half, the Steelers also victimized the Cardinals with one of the most epic plays in Super Bowl history: James Harrison's 100-yard interception return for a touchdown.