Arizona Cardinals Just Fine With Carson Palmer At QB

By Scott Allen | May 28, 2015

Quarterback Carson Palmer expected to be ready to go for the Arizona Cardinals by the start of the season

He’s doing 7 on 7 drills. He’s well ahead of schedule from his second torn ACL, which was suffered against the St. Louis Rams back on November 9th in Glendale. He feels good. He looks good although sluggish at times right now according head coach Bruce Arians.

He was 6-0 in the regular season as a starter before going down for good last season. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford has his second ACL tear much earlier than Palmer and he’s not even to the point of 7 on 7 drills yet. So please, tell me why there is doubt about Palmer going forward?

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A piece by Bob McManaman of azcentral.com this week suggested current Carolina Panthers Cam Newton as a possible franchise quarterback for the Cardinals. At a high level, it does sound like a legitimate thought. He makes some good points in the piece about Newton’s contract situation in Carolina.

However the piece suggest that Palmer isn’t long for his contract in Arizona given his health history. I mean, I get it. He’s getting older. There are no guarantees he will stay healthy for the rest of his three-year contract but this read also makes us believe there’s no chance he will succeed. We don’t know either way.

His teammates seem to have his back and can’t wait for him to return.

Johnson on Carson Palmer being back on the field: It means everything, he's the leader of the team not just the offense @AZCardinals
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) May 28, 2015

"No one is touching him," @Veldheer68 on protecting Carson Palmer this year. #CardsAllAccess
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) May 27, 2015

Media and some fans though seem to be a in hurry to bring on the next guy. As long as he’s healthy, Palmer is the guy. Now, it is prudent to think about the future. Any good football team like the Cardinals are probably already talking about the next guy. To actually pull the trigger? Not until Palmer says so. His play on the field and his health will determine that.

If Palmer is healthy and throwing for 3,000-4,000 yards with 30 TD and 10 interceptions or less, he’s playing out his contract, even if it means the Cardinals can’t obtain Newton. Be careful what you wish for.

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