Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer has decided to retire leaving the Cardinals with a black hole at the quarterback spot (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

Carson Palmer is hanging up the cleats after 15 NFL seasons. Palmer was never appreciated as much as he should have been but now leaves the Cardinals with a huge hole at the quarterback position. Both Drew Stanton and Blaine Gabbert are set to hit free agency. Injuries and age finally caught up to Palmer as his head coach Bruce Arians also called it a career. Palmer released a statement on Tuesday giving the details of his impending retirement.

“For 15 years I have been lucky enough to play quarterback in the NFL and it has been the most incredible experience of my life,” Palmer wrote in a statement. “There wasn’t one second that I took it for granted or failed to appreciate what a tremendous privilege it is.”

Carson Palmer never won a playoff game with the team he was drafted by but had mild success with the Cardinals. Palmer was drafted number one overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2003 out of USC. Palmer led the Bengals to more than one playoff stint getting stuck with Marvin Lewis who is somehow still with the organization.

Carson Palmer eventually requested a trade which opened the door for the team to draft Andy Dalton. Palmer was sent to Oakland with head coach Hue Jackson. Well… you can see what Hue Jackson is doing with the Browns right now. I’ve always wondered what Palmer could have been if he had Bruce Arians during the prime of his career.

Carson Palmer was ultimately selected to three Pro Bowls and took Arizona to the Conference Title Game in 2015. Palmer finished the 2017 season on injured reserve with a broken arm. Palmer only played all 16 games in just 7 of his 15 seasons was mired by injuries during his playing career.