Arizona Cardinals: Carson Palmer wins FedEx Air POY

Arizona Cardinals quarterback received an award for his 2015 performance on Saturday evening at the annual NFL Honors event

Ok, so he didn’t win the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award.  Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer came in second to Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton in that category on Saturday evening at the NFL Honors event.  Palmer tied for second with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

However Palmer did not leave the event empty handed.  He was named the FedEx Air player of the year.

Palmer, who had 35 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for 4,671 yards in 2015 deserved the award.  He lost out on MVP and also AP Comeback Player of the Year, which went to Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry. It was the right call in both situations.  Berry overcame a cancer diagnosis in 2014.

As for MVP, it really came as no surprise that Newton won the award.  He lead the Panthers to a 15-1 regular season record. He also threw for 35 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions.  The difference maker here was his ground game.  Newton rushed for 636 yard and 10 touchdowns.  Palmer can’t compete with the ground production.

Make no mistake about it though, Palmer’s 4,671 yards were a huge reason for winning the FedEx Air award.  Adrian Peterson from the Minnesota Vikings won the FedEx Ground Player of the Year.  He rushed for 1,485 yards ans 11 touchdowns in 2015.

All of the awards handed out on Saturday evening were all regular-season based in case you wanted to ask.  Despite Palmer’s playoff performance he still proved he has a lot left in the tank and proved in 2015 that he is a great fit for Bruce Arians offensive system in Arizona.

In other Cardinals related news of the evening, former Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner was not elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  He finished in the top 10 though, just missing out.  This means he likely will be a favorite to get in next season.