Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer announces retirement
Jan 2, 2018, 3:10 PM | Updated: 4:13 pm
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer announced his retirement Tuesday.
The Cardinals tweeted out an open letter from Palmer.
An open letter from Carson Palmer.
Carson calls it a career » https://t.co/3tkaqIqQaD#CheersToCarson pic.twitter.com/9m8Qs5yWpQ
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) January 2, 2018
The announcement comes a day after head coach Bruce Arians announced his on Monday.
Like Arians, Palmer is calling it a career after five years with the Cardinals.
Palmer was acquired from the Oakland Raiders on April 2, 2013, for a 2013 sixth-round pick and a conditional pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
In his first season, Palmer led the Cardinals to a 10-6 record. His 4,274 yards passing that season made him the first player in NFL history to throw for at least 4,000 yards for three different teams.
The 2014 season would be the first haunted by injuries. Two days after he received a three-year $50 million extension, he re-tore his ACL against the St. Louis Rams and would miss the rest of the season. Even without Palmer, the Cardinals would reach the playoffs with a record of 11-5, falling to the Carolina Panthers in the Wild Card round.
Palmer would have the best season of his career in 2015. His 4,671 yards and 35 touchdowns were a franchise record. He went 13-3 as a starter, making his third Pro Bowl.
For his success, he received one vote for the NFL’s MVP award, with one other vote going to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and the other 48 going to the award winner, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
He helped lead the Cardinals to a 26-20 overtime win over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Round, him and Arians’ lone playoff win in the Valley. In that game, Palmer went 25-of-41 for 349 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. His 75-yard pass to Larry Fitzgerald opened overtime and a five-yard touchdown pass to Fitzgerald two plays later won the game.
Palmer’s 2016 saw him regress down to 4,233 yards with 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. The team went 7-8-1.
This season, Palmer played in seven games, throwing for 1,978 yards, nine touchdowns and seven interceptions. He sat out the rest of the season after breaking his arm against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7.
The 38-year-old threw for more than 46,000 yards and 294 touchdowns in his 15-year career.
Some of his many Cardinals records include the most seasons with 4,000 or more passing yards (three) and most games with 400 or more passing yards (three).
Palmer signed a one-year extension in 2016 that would have had him play through the 2018 season.
Cardinals quarterbacks Drew Stanton, Blaine Gabbert and Matt Barkley are not all under contract for next season.
