Carson Palmer Carson Hilton Palmer ( born December 27 , 1979 ) is an American football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for the University of Southern California ( USC ) and won the Heisman Trophy in 2002 . The Cincinnati Bengals chose him with the first overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft , and Palmer also played two seasons for the Oakland Raiders . He has been selected to two Pro Bowl s . He is the older brother of NFL quarterback Jordan Palmer . Early years . Palmer was born in Fresno , California . He attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita , California . By the time he was in seventh grade , Palmer had remarkable size and arm strength for his age . His father , Bill Palmer , enrolled him in private classes in Orange County taught by quarterback guru Bob Johnson . Palmer was scheduled to enroll in Santa Margarita Catholic High School as a freshman . Initially , the plan was to move the family to the East Coast but after careful consideration , Bill Palmer realized that the level of competition in California was best for Palmer . Palmer enrolled at Santa Margarita and Bill Palmer commuted home on weekends via airplane . After a successful stint as a starter his junior year , Palmer started to field offers from USC , Notre Dame , Colorado , and Miami . He followed up a stellar junior season with a remarkable senior season , cementing himself as one of the most touted players ever to come out of Santa Margarita High School . In his senior season , he led Orange County with a 203 . 9 quarterback rating . He was named to the first - team all - league and All - CIF despite suffering a stress fracture in his right foot . College career . Palmer attended the University of Southern California , and played for the USC Trojans football team from 1999 to 2002 . He arrived on the USC campus and immediately competed for the starting quarterback job with Mike Van Raaphorst . Van Raaphorst won , but due to his ineffectiveness , Palmer was named the starter in the ninth game of the season , becoming only the second true freshman ever to start as quarterback for the Trojans . Palmer roomed with fellow USC football players and future NFL players Troy Polamalu and Matt Cassel . After three underwhelming years at USC , Palmer had a breakout senior year under the tutelage of new offensive coordinator Norm Chow , who was brought in the year before by head coach Pete Carroll . The revamped Trojans offense led to Carson Palmer becoming the fifth Trojan to win the Heisman Trophy , after running back s Mike Garrett ( 1965 ) , O . J . Simpson ( 1968 ) , Charles White ( 1979 ) , and Marcus Allen ( 1981 ) . Palmer was the first Trojan quarterback to be so honored ; his successor , Matt Leinart , won it as a junior in 2004 . Palmer completed 309 of 489 passes for 3942 yards and 33 touchdowns with only 10 interceptions during the 2002 season , and later led the Trojans to an impressive 38 – 17 victory over the University of Iowa in the Orange Bowl . His completions , passing yards , and passing touchdowns were all USC single season records . In a November 30 game against Notre Dame , Palmer threw for 425 yards and led his team to 610 yards of total offense , the most ever gained against Notre Dame in each category . Following his 2002 senior season , Palmer was a first - team All - Pac - 10 selection and was recognized as a consensus first - team All - American . He finished his college career as the Pac - 10 Conference ' s all - time leader in passing yards ( 11 , 818 ) , completions ( 927 ) and total offense ( 11 , 621 ) , along with 72 career touchdown passes , a USC record at that time ( since surpassed by Matt Leinart and Matt Barkley ) . Statistics . from USC biography Professional career . Cincinnati Bengals . 2003 season . Unlike most quarterbacks drafted first overall , Palmer did not play at all during his rookie season ; instead , Palmer learned the position during games and in practice under head coach Marvin Lewis and quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese as veteran quarterback Jon Kitna , who signed with the Bengals as an unrestricted free agent in 2001 , took every snap during the 2003 season . For his efforts , Kitna was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year . 2004 season . After learning the position his rookie season , Palmer was given the starting quarterback position for the 2004 season and started 13 games ; the Bengals finished that season at 8 – 8 . Palmer made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the New York Jets . Palmer completed 18 out of 27 passes . He also threw 2 touchdown passes and an interception . The Jets would hold on to beat the Bengals , 31 - 24 . " We came here expecting to win , ” Palmer said . “ We had what we needed . We had what we wanted . We had the ball with two minutes to go in good field position and I turned it over . I can ’ t make plays like that for us to win . ” In Week 2 , Palmer struggled . He completed 21 out of 38 passes but threw no touchdown passes and 1 interception . But the Bengals won the game over the Miami Dolphins , giving Palmer his first win as a starter . In Week 3 , Palmer struggled again against the Baltimore Ravens . He completed 25 out of 52 passes for 316 passing yards . But he was picked off 3 times and lost a fumble . The Bengals lost the game , 23 - 9 . “ You can ’ t get greedy , ” Palmer said . “ When you ’ re a young quarterback , you get greedy , and I have to fight that temptation . You need to develop patience . When something isn ’ t there , you don ’ t just throw it up in the air . " In Week 4 , Palmer struggled against a powerful Steelers team going 20 / 37 for 164 yards with a touchdown but 2 costly interceptions as the Bengals lost 28 - 17 . Palmer went into the Bengals ' week 5 bye with stats of 84 / 154 for 875 yards with only 3 passing touchdowns against 11 sacks and 8 total turnovers ( 7 interceptions and a lost fumble ) . The Bengals meanwhile sat at 1 - 3 and in last place in the AFC North during this point in the season . In Week 6 , Palmer struggled again against the Browns going 20 of 36 for 148 yards with a touchdown pass and an interception in the 34 - 17 loss . In Week 7 , Palmer went 12 of 21 for 198 yards , a touchdown , and an interception in the 23 - 10 home win over the Broncos . In Week 8 , Palmer went 20 of 36 for 247 yards with an interception and lost a fumble in a 27 - 20 loss at the Titans . In Week 12 , Palmer threw 4 touchdown passes for 251 passing yards against the Browns . He was also picked off 3 times . The Bengals won the game , 58 - 48 . The 106 points was the second most points in an NFL game . “ We kept putting them away , and they kept coming back , ” said Palmer , who threw a career - high four touchdown passes . “ We kept expecting them to slacken up , but they never did . ” In Week 13 , Palmer threw for a career high 382 passing yards and 3 touchdown passes . On the final drive of the game , Palmer made several big plays . He threw a 32 - yard pass to T . J . Houshmandzadeh and a 22 - yard pass to Chad Johnson . The Bengals won the game when Shayne Graham kicked a 24 - yard field goal with 0 : 02 seconds left in the game . 2005 season . In 2005 , the Palmer - led Cincinnati Bengals ended fifteen years of futility by notching their first winning season since 1990 and winning the division with an 11 – 5 record . Statistically , Palmer had a stellar individual season , throwing a league - high 32 touchdown passes and leading the league in completion percentage . He became the first Cincinnati Bengals quarterback to finish with a quarterback rating over 100 , setting the team record in that category ; and he also tied Indianapolis ' Peyton Manning for most consecutive games , 9 , with a triple - digit quarterback rating . In Week 1 , Palmer completed 26 out of 34 passes and 2 passing touchdowns against the Browns . The Bengals won the game 27 - 13 . In Week 2 , Palmer had another great game , throwing for 337 yards to go along with 3 passing touchdowns and an interception . Palmer threw 3 more touchdown passes in Week 3 against the Chicago Bears to improve to 3 - 0 . That was the first time the Bengals have started the season 3 - 0 since 1990 . In Week 4 , Palmer again had a rating over 100 in a game against the Houston Texans . Against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5 , Carson completed 22 out of 33 passes for 239 yards and 2 touchdowns . However , the Bengals lost their first game of the year , 23 - 20 . The Bengals would bounce back against the Titans in Week 6 . Palmer threw for 272 passing yards and 2 more passing touchdowns . His rating was over 100 for the ninth straight game dating back to last season . “ He feels like he ’ s invincible , but right now he knows he can go win it the next play , ” Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis said of his quarterback . “ He doesn ’ t have to win it on every play . And I think that says a lot for how he is and how important he is to this football team . ” Palmer ' s consecutive games streak of over a 100 quarterback rating ended in Week 7 against the Steelers . Carson completed 21 of 36 passes for 227 yards but was picked off 2 times and for the first time all season , failed to throw at least a touchdown in a game . “ It wasn ’ t anything in particular they did , ” said Palmer , who had a measly 53 . 8 passer rating for the game . “ I just didn ’ t play well enough to win . I gave them two turnovers . When you play a championship team , you can ’ t do that . ” Palmer bounced back in Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers . He threw for 3 touchdown passes and an interception for 237 yards . The Bengals won the game , 21 - 14 . That was one of the best comebacks in Bengals history . In Week 9 , Palmer passed for 248 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Bengals won their game against the Ravens . Palmer finished the season with a 101 . 1 rating . Carson signed a six - year contract extension through the 2014 season with the Bengals on December 29 , 2005 . In addition to the three years remaining on his existing deal , the value of the extension was worth $ 118 . 75 million over nine years . " Hopefully this is the last place I ' ll end up playing , " Palmer said . " That ' s so rare in this league these days . It ' s so rare to see a person have a 5 - , 8 - , 10 - , 12 - year career in one place . And I feel very fortunate that it looks like that ' s going to be my future . " On January 8 , 2006 , the Bengals met their division rival Pittsburgh in the first round of the AFC playoffs at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati . On the Bengals ' first pass play , Carson Palmer threw a 66 - yard pass to rookie receiver Chris Henry . It was the longest completion in Bengals playoff history . After Palmer released the pass , Steelers defensive tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen was pushed from behind while diving for Palmer , violently wrenching Palmer ' s knee , and he was forced to leave the game . A magnetic resonance imaging test revealed a severe knee injury , thought to be career - threatening at the time ; Palmer had tears of both the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments as well as cartilage and meniscus damage . Coincidentally , Henry himself suffered a knee injury on the same play , though far less severe . Having knocked Palmer out of the game the Steelers went on to win 31 – 17 . During the off - season , the league ' s Rules Committee modified the rule regarding low hits on quarterbacks . The new rule prohibited defenders from hitting a passer at or below the knee unless they are blocked into him . The so - called " Carson Palmer Rule " now requires that defenders take every opportunity to avoid hitting a quarterback at or below the knees when the quarterback is in a defenseless position looking to throw with both feet on the ground . Rehabilitation . Palmer underwent reconstructive surgery on his injured knee in Houston , Texas on January 10 , 2006 . Lonnie Paulos , a surgeon who is independent of the Cincinnati Bengals , performed the operation . Initially , the Bengals organization stated that Palmer had torn the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments with no other damage . However , Paulos later told the Associated Press that the damage was more extensive and also included a dislocation of the patella . Paulos called the injury " devastating and potentially career - ending " . The Bengals accepted Paulos ' assessment Nonetheless , Palmer vowed he ' d be the starting quarterback in the Bengals ' regular season opener at Kansas City on September 10 , 2006 . Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis stated , " This is a serious injury , but we are told the procedure went very well . We know Carson , and we know he will apply himself fully to his rehabilitation . This result encourages our feeling that Carson will be ready to open the 2006 season as our starting quarterback . " During his rehabilitation , Palmer has made several other pointed comments , particularly in an issue of " Sports Illustrated " , in which he was on the cover shown using a relatively new form of aquatic therapy developed by HydroWorx . In the article , Palmer stated that : " I hate the Steelers more than I hate UCLA . " 2006 season . Palmer returned in time for the 2006 preseason . After the Bengals ' 48 – 17 pre - season victory over the visiting Green Bay Packers on August 28 , 2006 , which saw Palmer complete 9 of 14 passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns in just less than two quarters of play in his much - expected debut ( which included an 11 - yard run for a first down that culminated in a slide on his surgically repaired left knee ) , Palmer reiterated his position that he would be starting in the Bengals ' season opener at Kansas City . His performance drew rave reviews from many experts , many of whom expected far less of him less than a year after such a serious injury . ESPN analyst Joe Theismann , himself a former quarterback with the Washington Redskins ( whose own career was ended by a gruesome broken leg against the New York Giants on November 18 , 1985 ) , praised Palmer for his mental toughness in taking hits and not being gun - shy about staying in the pocket where chances of injury are often high . Palmer ended up starting all 16 of the Bengals ' regular season games , missing only one snap , due to his getting the wind knocked out of him . He actually did not become totally comfortable with his repaired knee until week 9 against the Chargers when he threw for a career high of 440 yards . Despite his previous injury , he passed the 4 , 000 yard mark for the first time in his career , finishing the season with a franchise record 4 , 035 passing yards and 28 touchdowns , only 13 interceptions and 93 . 9 rating . He also made the Pro Bowl for the second year in a row , becoming the first Bengals quarterback to do this since Boomer Esiason in 1988 and 1989 . Palmer was named Most Outstanding Player at the Pro Bowl , leading the AFC down the field in the final two minutes for the win . He completed 8 of 17 passes for 190 yards and 2 touchdowns , one to his Bengals teammate Chad Johnson . Palmer placed 3rd in voting for NFL Comeback Player of the Year , behind Drew Brees and Chad Pennington . Unfortunately , his team suffered quite a few misfortunes , such as missed point afters and field goals , while slipping from an 11 – 5 record in 2005 to 8 – 8 in 2006 and failing to make the playoffs due to a game 16 loss against their hated rivals , the Pittsburgh Steelers . After winning the Pro Bowl MVP , Palmer declared , " This is a huge honor and extremely exciting and I feel very blessed just to be here , let alone for the outcome to be this . But my goal ' s to be in a Super Bowl . And to win a Super Bowl . That ' s where my mind ' s at , and after this week I ' m going to start focusing on that again . " During the 2007 off - season , Palmer had scheduled workouts with not only Chad Johnson ( which he usually did ) , but receivers T . J . Houshmandzadeh and Tab Perry . He also said he was fully comfortable with his knee . 2007 season . In the season opener on " Monday Night Football " against the Baltimore Ravens , Palmer went 20 for 32 with 194 yards and two touchdowns . Palmer and the Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens 27 – 20 . He followed up this performance with 33 completions for 401 passing yards and a franchise record and also a career - high 6 touchdown passes the next week in a game against the Cleveland Browns . But even so , his team lost the game 51 – 45 . Cleveland quarterback Derek Anderson also threw for five touchdown passes in the game . It was only the third time in NFL history that two quarterbacks had thrown at least five touchdown passes in the same game . In the loss to the Seattle Seahawks , 21 – 24 , Palmer went 27 for 43 for 342 yards for a touchdown , but also threw two interceptions . By week 8 , Palmer and the Bengals were struggling . His team had only a 2 – 5 record and he had thrown 9 interceptions , the most by any quarterback in the AFC . However , he remained statistically productive , ranking fourth in the NFL in passing yards and fifth in touchdowns with a passer rating of over 90 . The Bengals ' misfortunes continued throughout the season and a week 15 loss to the San Francisco 49ers ensured that the team would finish the season with a losing record for the first time since he had been their starting quarterback . In the same game , Palmer threw his 100th career touchdown pass , becoming the 5th fastest player ever to reach this milestone ( 59 games ) . Palmer finished the season with 376 completions for 4 , 131 yards and 26 touchdowns , with 20 interceptions . His 20 interceptions were a career high , but his 376 completions and 4 , 131 passing yards set new Bengals franchise records . 2008 season . In the season opener against the Baltimore Ravens , Palmer was held to 99 yards and no touchdowns , completing only 10 out of 25 passes with an interception . For the first time in his career Palmer wore a clear protective visor because of a broken nose . In the following 24 – 7 loss to the Tennessee Titans , Palmer was 16 of 27 for 134 yards and two interceptions . As the Bengals fell to 0 – 3 against the New York Giants in a 26 – 23 overtime loss , Palmer went 27 for 39 for 286 yards and a touchdown . Due to a sore elbow , Palmer missed the next game against the Cleveland Browns , which ended in a loss . This ended Palmer ' s consecutive start streak of 51 games . Palmer returned the following week against the Dallas Cowboys and completed 23 of 39 of his passes for 217 yards , with two touchdowns , and an interception on the first passing play of the game . The cause of Palmer ' s sore elbow was later diagnosed as a partially torn ligament and tendon and he was shelved for the remainder of the season . Palmer elected not to undergo Tommy John surgery to repair the damage ; instead , he chose to rest the elbow to allow it to heal . By March 2009 , Palmer said that he was " 100 percent " again . 2009 season . In the season opener , Palmer threw the ball 33 times for 247 yards , 2 interceptions , and no touchdowns in a 12 – 7 loss against the Denver Broncos . The critics sought another mediocre season for the Bengals , with a lack of offensive production . The offense bounced back in week 2 against the Green Bay Packers . Palmer threw for 185 yards , 3 touchdowns , and 2 interceptions in a 31 – 24 win . In week 7 against the Chicago Bears , Palmer was 20 of 24 passing , with 5 touchdowns , no interceptions , and a passer rating of 146 . 7 , in a 45 – 10 win . This win improved the Bengals ' record to 5 – 2 . After a 16 – 7 win against the Cleveland Browns in week 12 , the Bengals swept their division for the first time in franchise history . Going into a week 15 game at San Diego , Bengals ' receiver Chris Henry died . Playing with a heavy heart , Carson Palmer threw for 314 yards , with 2 touchdowns , and 1 interception , but only to lose on a last second field goal by the Chargers . Palmer had a 91 . 7 passer rating with 2 touchdowns and only 1 interception in 17 - 10 week 16 win against the Kansas City Chiefs . This win assured the Bengals ' first winning season and division title since 2005 . In Palmer ' s first full playoff game , he struggled . Palmer threw the ball with a 50 percent completion percentage , with 1 touchdown , 1 interception , and a 53 . 8 passer rating , in a 24 – 14 loss to the New York Jets . Carson Palmer finished the 2009 season with a 60 . 5 completion percentage , 3 , 094 yards passing , 21 touchdowns , 13 interceptions , and a passer rating of 83 . 6 . He seemed to have taken a step back from where he was in 2005 , 2006 , and 2007 . 2010 season . In the 2010 NFL Draft , the Bengals drafted 3 more receivers for Carson Palmer : Oklahoma tight end Jermaine Gresham in the first round , Texas wide receiver Jordan Shipley in the third round , and Kansas wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe in the sixth round . During OTA ' s ( Organized Team Activities ) , Palmer asserted himself as the leader of the team by calling out Chad Ochocinco , saying that the number one receiver should be there with the team . During the 2010 Hall of Fame Game in Canton , Ohio , Palmer completed 2 out of 5 passes for 18 yards , both to wide receiver Terrell Owens . Palmer and the Bengals started out the 2010 campaign with a 2 - 1 record , but would falter after that going on 10 - game losing streak to finish out the season at 4 - 12 . Statistically , Carson improved from the previous year as his attempts , completion percentage , yardage and touchdown numbers all rose ( although he did throw more interceptions as well ) . Following the Bengals ' 4 – 12 finish in the 2010 season on January 23 , 2011 Palmer requested to be traded . Bengals president Mike Brown turned down Palmer ' s request the next day . News reports said that Palmer is prepared to retire if necessary . WCPO - TV reported that a friend of Palmer quoted him as saying , " I will never set foot in Paul Brown Stadium again " ; " I have $ 80 million in the bank , " Palmer reportedly said ; " I don ' t have to play football for money . I ' ll play it for the love of the game , but that would have to be elsewhere . " Palmer ' s agent said , " Because of the lack of success that Carson and the Bengals have experienced together , Carson strongly feels that a separation between him and the Bengals would be in the best interest of both parties . " In 7 seasons under Palmer , the Bengals have appeared in the playoffs twice ( 2005 and 2009 ) , and have not won any playoff games . During an interview at the 2011 NFL Draft , head coach Marvin Lewis said that Carson Palmer told him he has plans to retire . In response , the Bengals selected TCU quarterback Andy Dalton in the second round . On July 26 , 2011 a video posted on NFL . com showed a press conference held by Mike Brown , the president of the Bengals , stating that he did not expect Carson Palmer to return to the Bengals for the 2011 - 2012 season , the organization wished him well , and that there were no plans to trade him . When asked why he wouldn ' t trade Carson , Mike Brown answered : " Carson signed a contract . He made a commitment . He gave his word . We relied on his word . We relied on his commitment . We expected him to perform here . He ' s going to walk away from his commitment . We aren ' t going to reward him for doing it . " Consequently , Palmer was placed on the reserve / did not report list on July 29 , 2011 , after failing to report to training camp . Oakland Raiders . 2011 season . With Bengals rookie quarterback Andy Dalton having led his team to a conference - best 6 - 2 record after 9 weeks , the Bengals had little motivation to negotiate for Palmer ' s return . But on October 18 , 2011 , after being contacted by the Oakland Raiders who had just lost starting quarterback Jason Campbell for the season and who were desperate to negotiate for Palmer , the Bengals agreed to trade the disgruntled Palmer . Raiders head coach Hue Jackson was previously the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at USC and helped recruit Palmer , and was also the Bengals wide receivers coach during the prime of Palmer ' s career . Jackson ' s good relationship with both Palmer and the Bengals organization was key to the deal . In exchange for a player that the Bengals did not need and who stated he would never suit up for them again , the Bengals received Oakland ' s first - round pick in the 2012 draft and a conditional second - round pick in the 2013 draft , which would have become a first - round pick had the Raiders reached the AFC Championship game in 2011 . The trade was deemed to be one of the most one - sided trades in recent memory , and would be one of the factors that would result in Jackson being terminated after the season was over . Dalton would go on to lead the Bengals to the playoffs and would be selected to the Pro Bowl , while Jackson was soon re - hired by the Bengals as an assistant coach . With punter Shane Lechler wearing Palmer ' s number 9 from Cincinnati , Palmer switched his jersey number to 3 , his number at USC which was worn by Jon Kitna in Cincinnati at the time the Bengals drafted him . On October 23 , Palmer came off the bench against the Kansas City Chiefs to relieve starting quarterback Kyle Boller who had thrown 3 interceptions and had the team down 21 - 0 . Palmer completed 8 of his 21 for 116 yards and threw 3 interceptions in his Raider debut . He stated after the game , " I was told I was not going to play . I didn ' t know the offense , I also hadn ' t been training and working out , so it was a complete shock to me at halftime when ( Raiders coach Hue Jackson ) told me , ' Hey , you know we ' re going to get you in , in the third quarter . ' " In his first start for the Raiders two weeks later Palmer threw for over 330 yards and had three touchdowns . He also threw three interceptions and lost a fumble . In his second start as a Raider during the Week 11 Thursday Night game against the division rival San Diego Chargers , Palmer showed further progress as he finished the game completing 14 of 20 passes for 299 yards and threw two touchdowns and a single interception for a quarterback rating of 125 . 0 in a 24 - 17 road win that would ultimately give the Raiders the lead in the division . After going 0 for 2 , Palmer would complete 10 straight passes including two touchdowns of 33 & 26 yards to rookie wide receiver Denarius Moore . Palmer was on course for a perfect passer rating of 158 . 3 until he took a hit from Chargers ' linebacker Travis LaBoy while attempting a pass early in the Fourth Quarter that resulted in wobbly pass picked - off by Paul Oliver . The Raiders ended the season 8 - 8 , 4 - 5 under Palmer . They lost the AFC West tiebreaker to the Denver Broncos and finished one game out of the playoffs . 2012 season . In 2012 , the Carson Palmer - led Raiders started the season 0 - 1 after a 22 - 14 home loss against the San Diego Chargers . Palmer had a good game statistically going 32 of 46 for 297 yards and a touchdown . In week 2 , Palmer completed 24 of 48 ( 50 % ) of his passes for 373 yards and a touchdown , but also an interception in a 35 - 13 loss to the Miami Dolphins . The Raiders returned home for a Week 3 matchup against the longtime historic rival of the Pittsburgh Steelers . Sitting at 0 - 2 , Palmer drove the Raiders down the field in the final seconds to set up a field goal attempt for the Raiders to win . Palmer went near perfect in his pass attempts completing 24 of 34 for 3 touchdowns and an interception in the 34 - 31 win . In Week 4 however , Palmer struggled against the Denver Broncos going 19 of 34 for 202 yards in a 37 - 6 road loss . The Raiders went into their bye week with Palmer ' s stats standing at 99 of 162 on pass attempts for 1 , 081 yards with 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions . The Raiders ( who had finished 4 - 5 with Palmer as a starter ) had also gone 5 - 8 with Palmer at the starting quarterback helm by this time . Returning from the bye week , Palmer and the Raiders traveled down south to face the Atlanta Falcons who were undefeated against AFC opponents . The Raiders got off to a good start with Palmer looking very sharp with 23 of 33 for 353 yards and a touchdown , but he also threw an interception as the Falcons completed the comeback drive to win 23 - 20 . Palmer sat at 26 of 46 for 298 yards , a touchdown , an interception , and also a rushing touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars a week later . Palmer stayed sharp through the next game at Kansas City against the Chiefs going 14 of 28 for 209 yards , 2 touchdowns and an interception in a 26 - 16 win . A week later , the Raiders returned home for a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Despite the fact that Palmer had completed 39 of 61 for 414 yards and 4 touchdowns , the struggling quarterback also threw 3 costly interceptions in the 42 - 32 loss . A week later at Baltimore , Palmer still looked sharp in the 55 - 20 road loss to the Baltimore Ravens going 29 of 45 for 368 yards 2 touchdowns and an interception . In Week 11 , the Raiders returned home for a game against a struggling defensive New Orleans Saints team . However , despite the fact that Palmer and the Raiders ' offense struggled , the quarterback went 22 of 40 for 312 yards for 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in the huge 38 - 17 loss . In Week 12 , Palmer returned to Cincinnati to face off against his former team the Cincinnati Bengals . Palmer struggled in this game going 19 of 34 for a season - low 146 yards for a touchdown and an interception in a 34 - 10 loss . In Week 13 , the Raiders returned home for a game against the Cleveland Browns . Coming into this game at 1 - 2 against the AFC North , the Raiders were down by 3 , but would end up losing 20 - 17 to the Browns despite the fact that Palmer was 34 of 54 for 351 yards , 2 touchdowns , and an interception . In Week 14 , the Raiders stayed home for a Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos . The Raiders lost 26 - 13 in spite of Palmer going 19 of 30 for 273 yards , 2 touchdowns and an interception . This game becoming none other than his 9th straight game with at least 1 interception . In Week 15 , the Raiders stayed home for the 3rd straight week for game 2 against the division rival Kansas City Chiefs . In which they would win 15 - 0 with Palmer ' s streak of games with at least 1 interception coming to an end , but still struggled as he went 18 of 29 for 182 yards . In Week 16 , Palmer and the Raiders traveled to Charlotte , North Carolina to take on the Carolina Panthers . Palmer early in the game suffered a further injury of his ribs leaving him out for the rest of the game . As he went 3 of 3 for 31 yards in the game , quarterback Matt Leinart took over for the rest of the game . The Raiders however went on to lose 17 - 6 . Out of all 14 games Palmer has started and completed , the Raiders went 4 - 11 under him bringing his total to 8 - 15 as the teams ' starting quarterback . Arizona Cardinals . Palmer was officially traded to the Arizona Cardinals on April 2 , 2013 for a 2013 NFL Draft sixth round draft pick and for a conditional pick in the 2014 NFL Draft . One of his biggest claims yet is that the Cardinals offense is the most complicated he has ever had to run in his career . His coach was Bruce Arians , the former Colts interim coach . While having a rusty 3 - 4 start , Palmer led the Cardinals to a 10 - 6 record his first year but was eliminated from playoff contention in week 17 . Palmer ranked 8th in the NFL in passing yards with 4274 yards , the most of his career . He also became the first player in NFL history to top 4 , 000 yards passing for three different teams . During week 11 , he was nominated for FedEx Air Player of the Week with 419 and 2 TD ' s . This win over the Jaguars ended Carson Palmer ' s interception streak through the first 9 games of his season ( not including the bye week ) . During week 14 , Palmer hit a career high with an 84 . 4 completion percentage when he went 27 for 32 with 269 yards and a TD in a win over the Rams . During Week 16 , while he threw 4 interceptions , two to the talkative Richard Sherman , he was able to rally the Cardinals to a 17 - 10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks , who had had a perfect home record for the last two years . Personal life . On July 5 , 2003 , Palmer wed a former USC soccer player , Shaelynn , whom he met during freshman orientation . In the off - season , they reside in San Diego , California . His brother , Jordan Palmer , was his best man at his wedding . His wife gave birth to twins on January 20 , 2009 , one boy Fletch and a girl Elle . He is a devout Christian , " I ' ve been a Christian as long as I can remember . I ' ve always been in church with my family through high school and college . " In 2008 , Nike released 3 Air Max 90s , one of which was designed in the Nike ID studios by Palmer . The shoe ' s colorway bears a strong resemblance to the famous Air Max 90 Infrareds . Palmer is a contributor to Delta Air Lines ' " Under the Wing " blog . Delta maintains a hub at Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky International Airport . Palmer was the best man at NFL quarterback Matt Cassel ' s wedding . Cassel was Palmer ' s backup QB at USC . Palmer appeared as himself on " The Replacements " in many episodes . His first appearance was " Ball Hogs " .