Carson Palmer announces his decision on next season in 'open letter'
The first two days of 2018 have produced two major headlines for the Arizona Cardinals.
Monday, coach Bruce Arians announced he was retiring after five seasons with the club.
Tuesday, quarterback Carson Palmer announced he is retiring from the NFL after 15 seasons.
While there’s a likelihood Arians’ decision influenced Palmer’s, the quarterback would only say he believed the time was right to walk away.
“Over the years, I’ve had teammates who decided to hang it up and I would ask them how they knew when it was time to walk away,” Carson said in a letter released by the team. “The answer was almost always the same: You just know.
“For me that time is now. Why? Quite simply, I just know.”
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
His final NFL season was cut short by injury. Palmer was placed on injured reserve after suffering a broken left arm against the Rams in London in Week 7.
Palmer’s time in Arizona coincided with that of Arians. He came to the Cardinals from the Raiders in 2013 and rejuvenated his career. He threw for a career-high 35 touchdowns with the Cardinals in 2015 as the team advanced to the NFC championship game.
Palmer, who won the 2002 Heisman Trophy as a member of the USC Trojans, was the first overall pick of the 2003 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.
After not playing at all as a rookie, Palmer became the team’s starter in 2004. A year later, he led the Bengals to their first winning season in 15 years and a spot in the AFC playoffs. But on Cincinnati’s first play from scrimmage against the Steelers in the postseason, Palmer tore his ACL and MCL after being hit by Pittsburgh’s Kimo von Oelhoffen.
Palmer remained with the Bengals through the 2010 season, but requested a trade after the team went 4-12. The team denied his request. He was quoted as telling a friend, “I will never set foot in Paul Brown Stadium again. I have $80 million in the bank.”
He did not report to the team for training camp the following season, and was eventually traded halfway through the season to Oakland. He spent the remainder of 2011 and all of 2012 with the Raiders before being traded to Arizona.
Congratulations to Carson Palmer on a tremendous career!
The former USC Heisman Trophy winner announced his retirement today after 15 years in the NFL. #FightOn pic.twitter.com/FmJgqGhdLC
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) January 2, 2018
For his career, Palmer threw for 294 touchdowns and completed 62.5 percent of his passes. He passed for 46,247 yards, which is 12th all-time.
With Arians and Palmer announcing their retirement, speculation will now focus on whether 34-year-old receiver Larry Fitzgerald will remain with the team. Fitzgerald signed a one-year extension in November that takes him through next season.
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