Wagoner & co. — How much does Cardinals QB Carson Palmer have left?

NFC West Q&A: How much does Cardinals QB Carson Palmer have left?

Josh Weinfuss

http://espn.go.com/blog/arizona-cardinals/post/_/id/20792/nfc-west-qa-how-much-does-cardinals-qb-carson-palmer-have-left

Today’s question: Carson Palmer is coming off of arguably his best season. How much do you think he has left?

Nick Wagoner, Los Angeles Rams reporter: Palmer was a legitimate MVP candidate in 2015 and rightfully so after posting career highs in passing yards, touchdown passes and passer rating. After failing to win a playoff game in his previous 12 seasons, that was another hurdle he finally cleared with Arizona’s dramatic victory against Green Bay in the divisional playoffs. If this question had been asked before the postseason, I think most would have said Palmer has plenty of gas left in the tank. Then he went out and threw six interceptions and coughed up two fumbles in two playoff games, including a dreadful outing in the NFC Championship Game loss to Carolina. The question becomes whether that was an aberration or a harbinger of things to come? At 36, Palmer still has plenty left in his arm, so I tend to think more of an aberration at least in the short term, but the Cardinals would still be wise to begin planning for the future at quarterback beyond the likes of Drew Stanton and Matt Barkley.

Paul Gutierrez, San Francisco 49ers reporter: We’re talking regular season, right? Because the last time we saw Palmer, he was throwing four interceptions and committing six turnovers overall, in a 49-15 blowout loss to the Carolina Panthers in the NFC title game. He did not appear to be a guy ready to take that next step onto the game’s biggest stage. That has always been the knock on the 2002 Heisman Trophy winner. Yes, he is already 36 years old, but will he age like a fine wine, or did we already witness the deconstruction of the artist known as CP3 (yes, before the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul)? In any event, if Palmer can stay healthy and upright, he can equal or even surpass last season’s 4,671 passing yards and 35 TD passes with 11 interceptions, especially since all of his weapons return and the offensive line is upgraded with the addition of Evan Mathis. With a short memory, good health and a better supporting cast, Palmer should have enough left for one last Super Bowl-or-bust-type season.

Sheil Kapadia, Seattle Seahawks reporter: At 36 years old, it’s best to go year-to-year with expectations for Palmer, but I’m not expecting a major drop-off in 2016. He stumbled in Week 17 against the Seahawks and in the NFC title game against the Panthers, but overall, Palmer was a legitimate MVP candidate last season. He became the only quarterback in the past four years to average more than 8 yards per dropback in a season. And he led the NFL in yards per attempt (8.7), proving once again to be an excellent match for Cardinals coach Bruce Arians. One thing Palmer has going for him is that he’s become one of the league’s sharpest quarterbacks mentally at this stage in his career. He’s got tremendous weapons surrounding him, and when teams try to blitz, Palmer consistently knows where to go with the ball and does damage downfield. Because of his supporting cast and his ability to win the mental battle against opposing defensive coordinators, Palmer should still be able to have success late in his career