Arizona Cardinals: Carson Palmer in decline
By the end of the 2017 campaign, Carson Palmer will be 38 years old. And based on what we saw last year, he’s starting to play like it.
His 2016 campaign saw his completion rate drop to its lowest level since joining the Cardinals in 2013. His touchdowns were significantly down in 2016 (26) compared to 2015 (35), while his interceptions went up.
Last season also marked the first time in Palmers’s tenure with the Cardinals that they posted a losing record. While that’s not all on Palmer, he didn’t play like you’d expect from a quarterback who had previously won 29 out of his last 38 games.
If Palmer has another poor season as the starter for Arizona, then it’s time for Bruce Arians and general manager Steve Keim to find his replacement. That’s kind of an underlying issue that could become a major storyline if the Cardinals struggle again in 2017. There is no other starting-caliber quarterback on the roster (unless you’re willing to bet on Drew Stanton or Blaine Gabbert), and the Cardinals opted not to draft a passer this year.