Seventeen years and six days have flown by since the Arizona Cardinals sniffed a Super Bowl. Since then, the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs have each won the NFL championship three times, the Seattle Seahawks have raised the trophy once, and even Tampa Bay took a victory lap amid the confetti.
While most past and present Cardinals, perennially unlucky and always the underdogs, must pay their own way to watch Sunday’s game between New England and Seattle at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, a select quartet will be suiting up to play on football’s grandest stage.
Four former Cardinals players are in Santa Clara representing the two teams in the 2026 Super Bowl. The Patriots have three of them. Here’s a look at each of those players.
Name: Joshua Dobbs
Position: Quarterback
Current team: Patriots
Year(s) with Cardinals: 2023
Dobbs is the backup quarterback for the Patriots. He started eight games for the Cardinals in 2023, compiling a 1-7 record.
The Cardinals traded Dobbs to the Minnesota Vikings just before Kyler Murray returned from a torn ACL. The Dobbs trade tree has substantial roots:
- Oct. 31, 2023: Cardinals trade Dobbs and a 2024 seventh-round pick to Minnesota for a 2024 sixth-round pick.
- April 26, 2024: Cardinals trade the 2024 sixth-round pick (186) and a 2024 second-round pick (35) to Atlanta for a 2024 second-round pick (43) and a 2024 third-round pick (79). The Cardinals selected cornerback Max Melton with the 43rd pick.
- April 26, 2024: Cardinals trade the 2024 third-round pick (79) to Indianapolis for a 2024 third-round pick (82) and a 2024 sixth-round pick (191). The Cardinals selected tight end Tip Reiman with the 82nd pick and wide receiver Tejhuan Palmer with the 191st pick.
Dobbs has dreamed of this moment his entire life.
“To be here with the opportunity right in front of us, it means the world. It’s every kid’s dream to be here,” Dobbs told Mirror U.S. Sports at Super Bowl Opening Night. “And now when you have the opportunity in front of us, it’s (about) taking advantage of it and making the most of it.”
Dobbs is known for his smarts and the fact that he majored in aerospace engineering at the University of Tennessee, earning him the nickname “The Passtronaut.”
He completed an externship with NASA at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida while he was with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Dobbs is also known for his charity work. He founded The ASTROrdinary Dobbs Foundation in 2022.
Name: Khyiris Tonga
Position: Defensive tackle
Current Team: Patriots
Year(s) with Cardinals: 2024
Tonga is from West Valley, Utah, and played at BYU. After signing with Arizona as a free agent in 2024, he played in 13 games for the Cardinals that season, racking up 22 total tackles.
Tonga has had a new role with the Patriots. Alongside a career-high in defensive snaps played (337), Tonga has been on the field for 2% of the offensive snaps this season.
“I don’t know if there’s a better tush-push than Khyiris Tonga.” BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said in an appearance on BYUSportsNation. “I’m so proud of him. I just talked to him a couple days ago, just really proud of what he’s doing and representing and it’s exciting to watch him play.”
With the seeming death of the fullback position in the NFL, some teams have started using defensive lineman as fullbacks in heavy run sets. Tonga has played fullback for the Patriots on occasion, mostly in the red zone.
Name: Josh Jones
Position: Offensive tackle
Current Team: Seahawks
Year(s) with Cardinals: 2020-2022
The Cardinals drafted Josh Jones with the 72nd pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Jones started 21 games with Arizona. He played both tackle and guard for the Cardinals.
“You could coach him on a particular technique or something and then you would see immediate results,” said Randy Clements, who was the offensive line coach and run-game coordinator during Jones’ junior season at the University of Houston. Clements is now the offensive line coach at South Carolina.
The Cardinals traded Jones to the Houston Texans on Aug. 24, 2023, along with a seventh-round pick in the 2024 draft, for a fifth-round pick. The Cardinals used that pick to select offensive lineman Christian Jones.
Josh Jones signed with Seattle this past offseason and has been a backup lineman. Jones started key games at left tackle for Seattle, filling in for star tackle Charles Cross against the Rams in Week 16, and against the 49ers in Week 18.
Name: D’Ernest Johnson
Position: Running back
Current Team: Patriots
Year(s) with Cardinals: 2025
D’Ernest Johnson is on the Patriots practice squad.
He spent about a month with the Cardinals and had one carry against the Green Bay Packers for no yards.
Johnson saw some legitimate playing time with Cleveland and Jacksonville earlier in his career. He has appeared in 103 NFL games, totaling 1,014 yards with three touchdowns. He also has 53 receptions for 465 yards.
Johnson was a standout college player at the University of South Florida. He was known for his versatility as a rusher, receiver and returner. He amassed 4,186 all-purpose yards, a USF school record.
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