Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl hopes rest with Carson Palmer
By Jim Koch
If the Arizona Cardinals want to contend for a Super Bowl next season they better hope their starting quarterback returns
Arizona Cardinals’ head coach Bruce Arians most recent comments included the status of his starting quarterback, Carson Palmer. It was just a couple weeks ago that Palmer said he would be back in 2017. But a couple days ago, Arians wasn’t giving any guarantees.
If Palmer has changed his mind, Arizona can most likely wave bye-bye to a Super Bowl title next season. His retirement would leave only Drew Stanton and Zack Dysert on the roster. That’s as scary a proposition as it sounds.
The NFL’s conference championship games proved once again that you need a great quarterback to succeed. Tom Brady and Matt Ryan fit that criteria. Both gave performances this past Sunday that were out of this world.
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If Palmer does decide to hang up his cleats, it won’t be easy to find a replacement. They do have the 13th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. But the odds would be against a rookie signal-caller getting the squad very far in his first year.
A trade for a quarterback who has some playing experience is a possibility. The New England Patriots’ Jimmy Garoppolo could fit that category for example. But even if someone of his caliber was acquired, it would most likely take every piece around him being up to snuff.
There are people who follow the league that feel Palmer is not capable of getting Arizona to the promised land. But the fact is, he got them very close in 2015. He was an MVP candidate and got the squad all the way to the NFC Championship game before bowing out.
So for now, Cards’ fans better hope Palmer decides to give it one more go. He’s currently the club’s best option. And if he could duplicate his 2015 performance, then that’s not such a bad option at all.