Where does Arizona Cardinals Carson Palmer rank?

Carson Palmer is cementing himself as one of the all-time great Arizona Cardinals’ QBs but how does he currently rank in the NFL?

Ask NFL fans what they think of Arizona Cardinals’ QB Carson Palmer and their opinions would probably be divided right down the middle. There are those who would argue numbers don’t lie, that Palmer’s statistics and won-loss record as a Cardinal show what a great signal-caller he is. There would also be the faction that would point to his meltdown in the NFC Championship game as the example of who he really is.

Ask Palmer’s teammates and coaches and they’ll tell you the real truth, that he’s among the best in the NFL, a born leader with ability, size and guts. That if not for some wasted years with the Cincinnati Bengals he would’ve been a Super Bowl champion by now.

So where does he rank among current NFL QBs? This article takes a look at how he stacks up against the NFL’s best at the position heading into the 2016 season.

Tom Brady- Very hard for any of the current QBs to measure up to “Tom Terrific”. Four Super Bowl rings and an incredible 11 Pro Bowls is hard to compete against to say the least. Would’ve been fun to see Palmer and Brady go head to head in the opener but the “Inflategate” suspension will prevent that.

Russell Wilson- Wilson is a Super Bowl champion but how much of the title can be attributed to the ferocious defense and dominant running game led by Marshawn Lynch that season? Palmer did actually emerge victorious against Wilson two times IN Seattle, a feat not accomplished by any other QB. Still, the fact remains that Palmer never has taken a team all the way while Wilson has.

Cam Newton- Newton possesses every physical trait you’d want in your quarterback and it’s hard to argue against a guy that was the league’s MVP, right? But in the Super Bowl, the biggest game of his life, he failed to jump on a loose ball, apparently afraid of being injured. You can’t have a guy that selfish leading your team over a guy like Palmer who undoubtedly would put his body on the line to recover that very important fumble.

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Drew Brees- Although Brees will go down in history as one of the NFL’s best, the Saints have had a losing record in three of the past four seasons. It’s also a fact that the Cards have won more games with Palmer at the helm the last three seasons than New Orleans has with Brees. Choosing between the two is alot tougher now then it would’ve been three or four years ago.

Aaron Rodgers- Conventional wisdom would say Rodgers is the better choice. But Palmer did come out on top in both meetings of their respective teams this past season. Still, Rodgers would have just as much success as Palmer has had if he were the quarterback of Arizona and he does have a Lombardi trophy on his resume.

Andrew Luck- Luck has all the talent in the world and now, after signing his new contract, all the money in the world too. The future is bright for the Stanford product but if we’re talking about a QB for this season then Palmer’s experience gives him the nod.

Ben Roethlisberger- One of Bruce Arians’ favorite pupils, “Big Ben” has won two championships and is still playing at a high level. As perfect of a match as Palmer and Arians are there’s a good chance that even the head coach may pick Roethlisberger over the current Cardinals’ signal-caller.

Philip Rivers- While Rivers is a statistical king (seven 4,000-yard passing seasons in the last eight years), he has only guided San Diego to the playoffs once in the past six seasons. Although Rivers is not solely to blame for the lack of playoff appearances, Palmer is sitting in a better position in his career right now than the Chargers’ long-time leader.

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