Carson Palmer - Pro Football Rumors

Extra Points: Palmer, Edwards Jr., Trubisky

December 18th, 2016 at 9:36pm CST by Ben Levine

Which quarterbacks will be available this offseason? NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal has you covered. Besides listing the impending free agents (including Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins), the writer also takes a look at several trade and release candidates.

The writer’s list of potential trade candidates is led by Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, while Tony Romo (Cowboys), Tyrod Taylor (Bills), and A.J. McCarron (Bengals) also earn mentions. Meanwhile, Rosenthal’s release candidates include Jay Cutler (Bears), Colin Kaepernick (49ers), Robert Griffin III (Browns), and Nick Foles (Chiefs).

Let’s take a look at some other notes from around the NFL…

Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer has struggled for stretches this season, but the veteran doesn’t sound like he’s considering retirement. “Haven’t thought about next year but I expect to play in 2017,” the 36-year-old said today (via Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 on Twitter).
UNC QB Mitch Trubisky still hasn’t decided whether he’ll forego his senior season and declare for the NFL draft, reports ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). Trubisky has had a breakout campaign, compiling 3,468 yards, 28 touchdowns, and four interceptions.
Raiders defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. said he had a “very solid workout” yesterday, and Caplan reports (via Twitter) that the second-year player could make his season debut next week. Edwards hasn’t played since injuring his hip during the preseason.
As organization’s begin to look at potential general manager candidates for next season, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss says that Patriots director of college scouting Monti Ossenfort could be pursued. Reiss cites the success of four current NFL general managers who “cut their teeth” in New England: Bob Quinn (Lions,) Jon Robinson (Titans), Thomas Dimitroff (Falcons), and Jason Licht (Buccaneers).

Carson Palmer Cleared To Play Monday Night

October 11th, 2016 at 9:11pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Carson Palmer has cleared the league’s concussion protocol and will start on Sunday against the Jets, the Cardinals announced today.

Palmer, of course, missed Arizona’s Thursday night contest — a victory over the 49ers — after suffering a concussion during the team’s Week 3 game against the Rams. The Cardinals will face the Jets on Monday night, followed by five of six games against potential NFC contenders. From October 23 to December 4, Arizona’s opponents include the Seahawks, Panthers, Vikings, Falcons and Redskins.

Through four games this year, Palmer has lobbed five interceptions against six touchdowns as the Cardinals have crawled to a 2-3 record on the season. Quarterback Zac Dysert, who was promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster to serve as Drew Stanton‘s backup with Palmer sidelined, was cut earlier today.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cardinals Cut QB Zac Dysert

October 10th, 2016 at 4:51pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals announced that they have released quarterback Zac Dysert, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic tweets. The release of Dysert is likely a sign that the Cardinals believe Carson Palmer will be healthy enough to take on the Jets on Sunday. The Cardinals also signed tackle Martin Wallace to the practice squad.

The Cardinals promoted Dysert from the p-squad earlier this month when Palmer was knocked out of action with a concussion. Dysert held the clipboard for Drew Stanton while Palmer was sidelined, but he won’t be needed now that the veteran is once again ready for action.

Dysert, 26, has now been on six different rosters after being chosen in the seventh round of the 2013 draft. Dysert has yet to attempt a regular season pass.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Carson Palmer Progressing Toward Return

October 7th, 2016 at 5:46pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The concussion that forced quarterback Carson Palmer to exit the Cardinals’ 17-13 loss to the Rams last Sunday and kept him from suiting up for their 33-21 win over the 49ers on Thursday is unlikely to limit him going forward. Palmer is in the last stage of the NFL’s concussion protocol, head coach Bruce Arians revealed Friday. Arians also expressed optimism about Palmer’s chances of starting in Week 6.

“I can’t say for sure. But he looked good in there lifting weights,” Arians told reporters, including Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com.

With Palmer on the shelf lately, the Cardinals have turned to veteran backup Drew Stanton, though his results haven’t been pretty. Stanton has completed just 16-of-43 passes for 172 yards to accompany a pair of touchdowns and interceptions this season. Arizona largely won in spite of Stanton in San Francisco, where he connected on a meager 11-of-28 throws for 124 yards and two scores.

Palmer, who’s a year removed from the best season of his career, took a step back in the early going before suffering the concussion. The former Bengal and Raider completed 63.7 of his 537 attempts and posted an 8.71 YPA, 35 scores against 11 picks, and a 104.6 passer rating for the 13-3 Cardinals in 2015. So far this season, the 36-year-old’s rates have fallen off (58.8 percent completion mark, 7.52 YPA, 81.9 rating), and he has already tossed five INTs against six TDs. Nevertheless, Palmer is easily the Cardinals’ top option under center, meaning they’ll need him healthy in order to challenge for a Super Bowl title.

At 2-3, Arizona has been among the league’s biggest disappointments this year. The club, perhaps with Palmer back in the lineup, will hope to build on its Thursday victory when it hosts the Jets in a Week 6 Monday night matchup. After that, five of its next six games come against potential NFC contenders. From Oct. 23 to Dec. 4, the Cardinals’ opponents include the Seahawks, Panthers, Vikings, Falcons and Redskins.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cardinals’ Carson Palmer Won’t Play Thursday

October 5th, 2016 at 2:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer won’t play on Thursday night against the 49ers, coach Bruce Arians told reporters moments ago. Backup Drew Stanton will get the nod when Arizona takes on San Francisco at Levi’s Stadium.

Palmer suffered a concussion in Sunday’s loss to the Rams. Palmer is said to be doing better, but the team does not want to chance things by putting him into live action so soon. Palmer won’t make the trip with the team, so he won’t be available as a backup option should Stanton be removed from the game.

Through four games this year, Palmer has lobbed five interceptions against six touchdowns. Stanton – 7-5 as a starter in the NFL – will aim to do better. Quarterback Zac Dysert was promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster yesterday and he’ll serve as Stanton’s understudy this week.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cardinals To Be “Very Careful” With Palmer

October 2nd, 2016 at 8:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

The odds of Carson Palmer returning in time for what’s looking like a pivotal Thursday-night game aren’t looking good. The Cardinals plan to be “very, very careful” with their franchise quarterback, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (on Twitter), who does not put Palmer’s odds at suiting up against the 49ers as very good.

Palmer left Sunday’s game after being sacked by Aaron Donald and Eugene Sims during the fourth quarter of what turned out to be Arizona’s third loss this season. He’s in the concussion protocol, per Bruce Arians. The fourth-year Cardinals coach does not expect to play Palmer if he can’t practice this week, per Mike Jurecki of FoxSports 910 (via Twitter).

The defending NFC West champions are now two games behind both the Rams and Seahawks after being a surefire playoff pick by most experts. Arizona would turn to Drew Stanton, as they did after Palmer exited tonight, against San Francisco if their fourth-year starter can’t go.

Following the trip to the Bay Area, the Cardinals will return home in Week 6 to face the Jets in Monday-night tilt. Palmer played all 16 games for the Cardinals in 2013 and ’15 but missed more than half of 2014 due to his second ACL tear. The 36-year-old quarterback hasn’t gotten off to a splendid start, having thrown five interceptions and just one touchdown pass the past two weeks, but is coming off a standout showing in 2015 and represents the team’s best option.

Stanton re-signed with the Cardinals this offseason and led them to a 5-3 mark in eight starts in 2014. He only completed 55% of his passes that season and has never connected on more than 58% in his career.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Notes: Wentz, Johnson, Palmer, Giants

September 17th, 2016 at 9:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Further illustrating the Eagles‘ belief in Carson Wentz and their motivation to make the seminal trade with the Browns in April, new Philadelphia OC Frank Reich offered some high-end comparisons for the No. 2 overall pick.

“Physically, he reminds me a little bit of a combination of Andrew Luck — though, I’ve never played with him — just watching him play, but a guy that I did play with in Jim Kelly, the size, strength and just the toughness,” Reich said, via Matt Lombardo of NJ.com.

Wentz ran a tenth of a second slower in the 40-yard dash compared to Luck coming out of college (4.77 seconds to 4.67), but the quarterbacks are similar in size — both 6-foot-5 and around 235 pounds. The younger player will attempt to build on his breakthrough debut, one executed despite scant preseason reps and the anticipation he’d be the third-string passer.

Here’s more on Wentz’s potential rise and on some other NFC teams.

The Eagles trading Sam Bradford to the Vikings opened the door not only for Wentz to receive an early start on Sundays, but it cleared a path toward endless practice reps instead of a short-term future as Philly’s third-stringer, Jeff McLane of Philly.com writes. Reich told media, including McLane, there was “no question” the additional practice work would accelerate Wentz’s development compared to a season spent behind Bradford and Chase Daniel. Per McLane, Wentz did not speak up much in quarterback meetings while he was the No. 3 quarterback, instead deferring to the veterans. Daniel functions as the scout-team quarterback, and the meetings are geared around a Wentz-conducted offense.
Doug Pederson expected to hear something on Lane Johnson‘s lingering suspension by now, Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com notes, but the league has yet to announce the expected 10-game ban. “You would think you would have heard something by now,” Pederson said. “If it does happen down the road, it just pushes everything back. Me personally, I’d rather know now than later. But until then, [Johnson] is the guy.” Pederson said Stefen Wisniewski would play left guard after current starter Allen Barbre swings to right tackle in the event Johnson’s ruling comes down. Wisniewski usurped Isaac Seumalo as the next guard up since the Eagles initially announced their Johnson contingency plan.
Earlier today, a potential Panthers plot to select Blaine Gabbert No. 1 overall emerged in advance of Sunday’s Panthers-49ers game. The Buccaneers‘ Week 2 opponent, the Cardinals, also employ a quarterback who will face a team that pursued him years ago. The Bucs attempted to trade for Palmer in 2013, but refusing to push then-starter Josh Freeman to a backup role did not make it an enticing fit for the then-Raiders quarterback as he looked for a team and a long-term deal, Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times writes, analyzing what could have been in advance of Sunday’s tilt. The Bucs joined the Cardinals and Bills in making a push for a then-33-year-old Palmer’s services. Then-Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano wasn’t enamored with Freeman, but the organization did not want to give up on the former first-round pick by automatically making Palmer a starter. Freeman lasted just three games into the ’13 season before being released.
The Giants worked out four linebackers on Saturday after cutting Deontae Skinner from their practice squad. Cassanova McKinzy, Deiontrez Mount, Eric Pinkins and Myke Tavarres worked out for the team, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports.

West Notes: Bosa, Raiders, Cardinals, Palmer

August 11th, 2016 at 8:12pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Although Joey Bosa‘s camp has reportedly made the latest offer in his contract battle with the Chargers, Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB doesn’t expect the team to blink in the two sides’ stare down. Instead, given that the third overall pick has no leverage, the Bolts will wait him out. The deadline for the Chargers to trade the lone holdout from this year’s rookie class passed Tuesday, so the ex-Ohio State star will either have to sign with San Diego or skip this season and reenter the draft next spring. If Bosa doesn’t sign by the Tuesday after Week 10, he won’t be eligible to play this year. The 21-year-old and the Chargers are locked in a dispute over signing bonus distribution and offset language in a potential contract.

More from the NFL’s two West-based divisions:

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) believes the Raiders’ Reggie McKenzie will have as difficult a job as any general manager for 53-man roster cuts as his team boasts one of the league’s deepest rosters. For a full view of the Raiders’ depth chart, check out their page on Roster Resource.
McKenzie has fared excellently in rebuilding the Raiders, but he’ll have his work cut out going forward while he tries to retain talent, as Joel Corry of CBS Sports details. If quarterback Derek Carr – whom the Raiders control through 2017 – signs an extension worth $20MM per year after this season, it will somewhat hinder McKenzie’s ability to maintain a deep roster. The same is true of superstar defensive end Khalil Mack, who could become the NFL’s first $20MM-per-year non-quarterback in either 2017 or 2018, writes Corry. Still, even if the Raiders allocate sizable chunks of spending room to those two integral cogs, they’ll still be a long way from the cap problems they had upon hiring McKenzie in January 2012, notes Corry. Since taking the reins, the GM has done a masterful job structuring contracts to avoid dealing with dead money.
One trade McKenzie made early in his tenure – a 2013 deal that sent quarterback Carson Palmer and a seventh-round pick to Arizona for a sixth-rounder and a conditional selection – looks to be among the best moves in Cardinals history, opines Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910. Palmer scuffled in Oakland, but he has revived his career with the Super Bowl-contending Cardinals, having helped the team to a 29-9 record in his starts while throwing 70 touchdowns against 36 interceptions. As a result, Arizona extended Palmer through 2018 last week.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Redskins, Cowboys, Cardinals

August 6th, 2016 at 10:55am CST by Ben Levine

Kirk Cousins‘ top two targets will both be free agents following the 2016 season, and ESPN.com’s John Keim writes that the Redskins quarterback will vicariously play a role in the duo’s future contracts.

Veteran wideouts Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson are both set to hit free agency following the season, and Cousins is focused on earning the pair as much money as possible.

“I said to guys in college that I would take great pride in them having NFL careers,” Cousins said, “and it’s a point of emphasis that I would get them the ball, help them play well enough as a college player and it would give them an opportunity to be noticed and play in the NFL. The same would be true now. I want to see them have great success in this league and have long careers and certainly as a quarterback, you have a role in that.”

For what it’s worth, both Garcon and Jackson are simply focused on their on-field production, as both veterans understand that that’s all they can control at this point.

“We can just give great effort and however they want to use us is how they use us,” Garcon said. “Kirk has to throw touchdowns and get passing yards and we have to get receiving yards. We can’t control the outcome of the contract, but we can control what goes on with us between the lines.”

“I’m just really keeping it real right here, keeping it real simple,” Jackson added. “I don’t want to put no extra pressure on anybody, on myself, on the team, nobody. I’m just here to work and be rewarded for whatever it is. Whatever that turns out to be at the end of the year, so be it.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes from the NFC…

Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr took a significant pay cut for 2016, with his salary dropping from $9.1MM to $4.25MM. However, the veteran understands that on-field production will lead to a future payday. “Get the ball, get this money,” Carr told Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram. “Keep it simple. Get the ball, make some plays and you’ll see what happens when it’s all said and done.”
Cowboys quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson has taken a personal leave to deal with “personal matters,” reports Hill. There’s no timeline for when the coach will return to the team. “I don’t know. I don’t want to speculate on that,” said vice president Stephen Jones. “Wade has got to take care of himself. I know no one wants to be out here more than him.”
Cardinals general manager Steve Keim had no issues extending 36-year-old Carson Palmer. In fact, the executive doesn’t want to imagine life without the talented quarterback. “That’s all I think about,” Keim said (via ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano). “That’s what keeps you up at night. I mean, if you think about it, what GM or coach doesn’t have their career attached to that position?…I was fortunate enough to get this job, and one of the first moves I made was to trade for Carson. And the rest is history. Three years, 10, 11 and 13 wins. And there’s no doubt he’s obviously the biggest impact.”
With Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, and Tyrann Mathieu recently earning extensions, Cardinals defensive tackle Calais Campbell is hoping his new contract is next on the organization’s agenda. “I hope so,” Campbell told ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss. “Just one of those things when it comes, I’m going to be very happy but you got to be patient and continue playing ball and whenever it comes I’m going to be ready for it.”

West Notes: Cardinals, Chiefs, Chargers

August 5th, 2016 at 7:44pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The contract extensions the Cardinals awarded quarterback Carson Palmer and future Hall of Fame receiver Larry Fitzgerald on Friday extend the team’s Super Bowl window beyond this season, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com contends. As an added benefit, the Cardinals now have extra time to find a successor to the 36-year-old Palmer, and they no longer have to worry about losing two of their top wideouts – Fitzgerald and free agent-to-be Michael Floyd – at season’s end. Worst-case scenario, the Cardinals’ receiving corps will still contain Fitzgerald and John Brown in 2017.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two West divisions:

Palmer’s deal with the Cardinals features a $6.75MM signing bonus and fully guarantees his $15.5MM salary and bonus for 2017, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. On the other hand, neither Palmer’s $12.5MM salary nor $1.5MM roster bonus for 2018 are guaranteed.
The Chiefs‘ signing of Nick Foles has no impact on Alex Smith‘s short- or long-term future with the club, according to head coach Andy Reid (via Adam Teicher of ESPN.com). “It’s Alex’s football team,” Reid said. “Nick knows that it’s Alex’s team. Alex knows it’s Alex’s team.” Foles, who was next to Reid, echoed that sentiment. Smith is under contract through 2018 after signing a four-year extension in September 2014.
The four-year extension the Chargers gave receiver Keenan Allen in June is the team’s best deal, opines Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap. Allen’s contract is worth $45MM, including $20.7MM in guarantees, which Fitzgerald regards as a bargain for a 24-year-old who has averaged 93 catches, 1,104 yards and seven touchdowns per 16 games during his three seasons in the NFL. Conversely, the four-year, $28MM pact the Chargers handed left tackle King Dunlap last offseason is their worst, writes Fitzgerald, who argues the Bolts made an unnecessary commitment (including $8.5MM in guarantees) to a player who only should’ve been a stopgap.
In other Friday news, Oakland waived pass rusher Damontre Moore, San Francisco lost receiver Eric Rogers for the season and Kansas City agreed to a deal with safety Jeron Johnson.

Zach Links contributed to this post.