Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer has been in the NFL for 14 seasons. He entered the NFL as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals after being drafted No. 1 overall in the 2003 NFL Draft out of USC. So now, looking ahead to his 15th season and coming off a campaign that saw him throw for 4,233 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions, it would seem reasonable if the Cardinals started looking for Palmer’s replacement.
It becomes an even more reasonable scenario when considering that rumors have been flying around that suggest Palmer may be considering hanging up his cleats sometime soon
According to Jason La Canfora of cbssports.com, finding Palmer’s replacement is exactly what Arizona is thinking about doing in the upcoming 2017 NFL Draft.
Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson is fresh off a season that saw him go out with a CFP National Championship trophy. He was the only quarterback who could fool Nick Saban’s awesome Alabama Crimson Tide defense. And as a result, the Cardinals (and presumably many other NFL teams) feel he’ll be able to accomplish the same thing in the NFL.
Here’s what La Canfora had to say:
If Carson Palmer retires, (Tony) Romo could be an option, and sources said the Cardinals are very high on Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and could be prepared to trade up to land him this spring.
Tony Romo was obviously relegated to a backup role in Dallas behind rookie Dak Prescott. La Canfora also relayed that Bills’ quarterback Tyrod Taylor could be an intriguing option for the Cardinals because of scheme fit.
But obviously, Watson would be “the guy” if Arizona can pull off a trade to move up (spoiler: he’s going to go high).
Watson is more than just a dual-threat quarterback. He’s a football player to his very core and has displayed tremendous amounts of leadership, poise and grit. He was the main reason Clemson won the national title, and he’s well worth taking a shot on for a team desperately needing a long-term future at quarterback.