SI Presents Carson Palmer Classic Photos

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Dec 14, 2015

SI Presents Carson Palmer Classic Photos

1998

Carson Palmer unleashes a pass as UCLA linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo leaps over the offensive line during UCLA's 37-14 win at the Rose Bowl. Palmer was the first freshman quarterback to start at USC in eight years.

2002

Palmer threw 72 touchdown passes across 53 games at USC from 1998 through 2002. He also ran for nine scores.

2002

Carson Palmer, far right, sits with the contenders for the 2002 Heisman Trophy—from left, Iowa quarterback Brad Banks, Miami running back Willis McGahee, Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey and Penn State running back Larry Johnson.

2002

Palmer was the first quarterback from USC to win the Heisman. The Trojans previous winners were running backs Mike Garrett (1965), O.J. Simpson (1968), Charles White (1979) and Marcus Allen (1981).

2002

Palmer talks with former Trojan O.J. Simpson after practice for the Orange Bowl in Miami.

2003

Palmer was named 2003 Orange Bowl MVP after No. 5 USC defeated No. 3 Iowa 38-17.

2003

Palmer appeared on the cover of SI ahead of the 2003 NFL Draft, in which he became the first quarterback taken with the top pick since Vinny Testaverde in 1987.

2003

Palmer was drafted No. 1 overall in a draft that also saw Andre Johnson, Terrell Suggs, Terence Newman and Troy Polamalu go in the first round.

2003

Palmer warms up before a preseason game against the New York Jets. He didn't play a single snap his rookie season.

2004

Peter Read Miller for Sports Illustrated

Palmer got more than his feet wet in his second NFL season, in which he threw 18 TDs and 18 interceptions as the Bengals went 6-7 in his 13 starts. Cincy was 8-8 overall.

2005

Palmer signs autographhs after the first practice of the Bengals training camp at Georgetown College in Kentucky in 2005.

2005

Bengals receiver Chad Johnson talks with Palmer at training camp in Georgetown, Ky. Of the 50-plus players Palmer has thrown a touchdown to, Johnson has the most, at 43, followed by T.J. Houshmandzadeh at 36.

2005

In his third year in Cincy, Palmer led the Bengals to their first winning season in 15 years as they ruled the division with an 11-5 record.

2005

Palmer walks with Take A Player to School winner Drew Matula after the QB spoke and answered questions during an assembly at Mason (Ohio) Intermediate School.

2005

Palmer avoided the likes of Chicago's Adewale Ogunleye enough times in 2005 to lead the NFL in touchdown passes with 32, outperforming Peyton Manning (28), Tom Brady (26) and Drew Brees (24).

2006

On the first drive of the AFC Wild Card Playoff Game on Jan. 8, 2006, Palmer was hit in the knee by Kimo von Oelhoffen of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

2006

As a result of the low blow, Palmer suffered a torn left anterior cruciate ligament, shredded his medial collateral ligament, dislocated his kneecap, and endured cartilage and tissue damage.

2006

With Palmer down, the Bengals lost the playoff game 31-17 and the Steelers went on to win the Super Bowl. The NFL instituted the Carson Palmer rule the following season, penalizing defenders for hitting a passer at or below the knee unless they were blocked into him.

2006

Palmer's rehabilitation process landed him on the cover of SI again.

2006

Bengals trainer Paul Sparling told SI that Palmer's drive and focus made him "an ideal patient" for the arduous rehab.

2006

Palmer's goal was to heal in time to play in the Bengals 2006 opener against Kansas City. "That's what keeps me going," he told SI, mindful that the normal range of recovery from such injuries is eight to 12 months. "I know that if I take a couple of weeks off I'm not going to be ready to play September 10."

2006

Damian Strohmeyer for Sports Illustrated

Palmer not only started the September season opener against the Chiefs, but also helped lead Cincinnati to a 23-10 victory.

2006

Fans congratulated Palmer upon his triumphant return. Cincy would go on to win its next two games, including a 28-20 road victory against Pittsburgh, but missed the playoffs at 8-8 after losing to the Steelers in Week 16.

2007

Palmer threw for a franchise-high 4,035 yards in his first season back from injury and was voted to his second consecutive Pro Bowl, along with Peyton Manning. Palmer was named the game's most outstanding player.

2007

Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Tedy Bruschi leaps over the line of scrimmage to knock down a Palmer pass during a 2007 Monday night game.

2007

Palmer argues with an official during a game against Cleveland in December 2007. Cincinnati went 7-9 that season with Palmer becoming the fifth fastest NFL quarterback to reach 100 touchdown passes.

2008

Palmer walks off the field after breaking his nose in a preseason game against the New Orleans Saints.

2008

The broken nose wasn't the only thing that ailed Palmer in the 2008 season. He missed game 4 because of a sore elbow, ending his 51-game starting streak, and later was discovered to have a partially torn ligament and tendon. He said no to Tommy John surgery.

2008

Palmer stands with his younger brother Jordan (also a quarterback) and the clean-shaven Ryan Fitzpatrick (far right) during a break at training camp.

2009

Palmer looks to pass while under pressure from Sammie Hill of the Detroit Lions during one of the Bengals 10 victories in the 2009 season.

2009

Palmer scores against the Oakland Raiders, one of only six losses the Bengals suffered in 2009.

2009

Palmer and the Bengals swept their division for the first time in franchise history in 2009, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the New York Jets, 24-14.

2010

Palmer and the Bengals went 4-12 in 2010, including his fourth loss in as many career outings against Tom Brady and the Patriots. After the season, Palmer demanded a trade from the Bengals and said he would retire if the team didn't adhere to his wishes. He was placed on the reserve/did not report list on July 29, 2011, after failing to report to training camp, with the Bengals drafting Andy Dalton to replace him.

2011

The Oakland Raiders traded for Palmer in October 2011 after starting quarterback Jason Campbell was ruled for the season. Palmer started nine games, losing five, including a 34-14 setback against the Miami Dolphins.

2011

Clay Matthews pressures Palmer during a game at Lambeau. The Raiders gave up their 2012 first-round pick and a conditional second-round pick in the 2013 draft for Palmer. Cincinnati eventually used the picks to select Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick and North Carolina running back Gio Bernard.

2011

Palmer tosses a pass over Kansas City outside linebacker Justin Houston during a 16-13 win over the Chiefs.

2012

The Raiders went 4-11 with Palmer at quarterback in 2012.

2012

All told, Palmer compiled an 8-15 record as the starter in Oakland, leading to his trade to the Arizona Cardinals in April 2013 for a sixth-round draft pick that year and a conditional pick in 2014.

2013

Twenty-four quarterbacks since 1998 have played in a new city after throwing for at least 2,500 yards the previous season. Palmer has made the transistion twice.

2013

Arizona head coach Bruce Arians talks to quarterback Palmer during a game against the New Orleans Saints. The Cardinals went 10-6 in Palmer's first season in the desert but missed the playoffs.

2013

Palmer was intercepted in nine consecutive games to start the 2013 season, including two against Tampa Bay.

2013

Carson Palmer shakes hands with Cam Newton following their Oct. 6, 2013 game in Glendale, Ariz. Twenty-seven months later they would become the first Heisman-winning quarterbacks to face each other in an NFL playoff game—the 2016 NFC Championship Game.

2013

The 22 interceptions Palmer threw in 2013 remain his career high.

2013

Palmer was intercepted four times in this December 2013 game at Seattle, but overcame the miscues to snap the Seahawks' 14-game winning streak at home.

2013

Palmer and Russell Wilson shared a moment at midfield after Arizona's stunning 17-10 victory in Seattle. The win was the Cardinals' seventh in eight games. They lost 23-20 to San Francisco in Week 17 and missed the playoffs.

2014

Palmer suffered nerve damage in his right throwing shoulder, presumably on this Week 1 tackle by San Diego's Eric Weddle, which forced him to miss the next three games of the 2014 season.

2014

Eagles linebacker Trent Cole closes in on Palmer during an October 2014 game.

2014

The Cardinals won all six of the games in which Palmer started in 2014, including this one against Philadelphia.

2014

Palmer threw for a season-high three touchdowns in this October 2014 game against Dallas.

2014

Two days after he agreed to a three-year, $50 million contract extension ($20.5 million guaranteed), Palmer suffered another torn left ACL injury, this time while trying to avoid a blitzing St. Louis Ram safety. There was no contact when Palmer was hurt. He had stepped up to avoid blitzing safety Mark Barron."I've done that move thousands of times," Palmer said. "... My foot hit the grass and the grass gave way. It was just a freak thing."

2014

The Cardinals had the best record in the NFL (9-1) at the time of the injury and Palmer had thrown for 11 touchdowns with only three interceptions.

2014

"It's not easy," Palmer told the media a day after the injury. "I'm not going to lie. I cried like a baby last night and I'm not an emotional guy. The last time I cried like this was when I lost my friend and teammate Chris Henry back in '09." The Cardinals went on to make the playoffs at 11-5 but lost in the first round to Carolina.

2015

Palmer strikes a pose during the Cardinals Media Day on June 8.

2015

Palmer scrambles for a touchdown during training camp at University of Phoenix Stadium on Aug. 1, 2015. He used his rehab time to correct a flaw he noticed in his throwing mechanics.

2015

Palmer throws a pass up the middle to Larry Fitzgerald during a game against the Rams on Oct. 4.

2015

Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald entered the 2015 season knowing their window of opportunity to win a Super Bowl is closing. Their overtime victory over Green Bay in a January divisional playoff game put them within one win of getting there.

2015

Palmer dives into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown with 2:28 remaining in a 19-13 victory over San Francisco on Nov. 29. It marked his first win against the 49ers (in five tries) and was the Cardinals fifth straight win of the season.

2015

Palmer passed Kurt Warner in Week 13 for the franchise record of touchdown passes in a single season, throwing his 31st in a win over the Minnesota Vikings.

2016

Carson Palmer and Aaron Rodgers watch the overtime coin toss in an NFC divisional playoff game. The Cardinals won the re-toss (the coin didn't flip the first time) and went on to score a touchdown on their first drive to survive 26-20 to give Palmer his first career playoff victory.

2016

Carson Palmer and defensive end Frostee Rucker walk off the field victorious after an overtime win sent them to a NFC Championship Game matchup against the Carolina Panthers. Palmer pulled off a five-yard shovel pass to Larry Fitzgerald for the decisive touchdown in overtime.