Palmer announced his retirement after 15 NFL seasons on Tuesday in an open letter released by Cardinals, one day after Arians said he was leaving his long coaching career.
”Over the years, I’ve had teammates who decided to hang it up and I would ask them how they knew when it was time to walk away,” the letter began. ”The answer was almost always the same: You just know. For me, it is time now. Why? Quite simply, I just know.”
Palmer, who turned 38 last week, made the announcement in an open letter released Tuesday by the Cardinals. Palmer missed the last nine games of what would be his final season with a broken left arm.
He called his long professional career ”the most incredible experience of my life.”
Palmer and Arians were together the past five seasons, and they included some of the best days of the quarterback’s career.
Standing 6-foot-5 with a remarkably strong arm, Palmer was a Heisman Trophy winner at USC and the No. 1-overall pick by Cincinnati in 2002. He threw for 46,247 yards, 12th-most in NFL history, in a career with the Bengals, Oakland and Arizona.
”When I entered the league, I was a 23-year-old kid Adidas Evgenii Dadonov Jersey ,” Palmer wrote. ”I’m leaving a 38-year-old husband and father of four with memories and experiences that I will treasure for the rest of my life. And like most things in life, it feels like it all passed in a blink of an eye.”
Acquired by the Cardinals for only a sixth-round pick and a swap of seventh-rounders, Palmer’s strong arm was a great fit for Arians’ ”no risk it, no biscuit” big-play passing game.
Palmer twice came back from torn ACL injuries. The first occurred in his playoff debut for Cincinnati in 2005. He was hurt on his first pass, a 66-yard completion. The second came in the sixth game of the 2014 season.
Palmer returned from that one to have probably the best year of his career. In 2015, he set single-season franchise records and career highs for yards passing (4,671) and touchdowns (35) while leading the Cardinals to a 13-3 record, second-best in the NFC. He won his only playoff game in four tries that season, in overtime over Green Bay.
”My family and I are beyond grateful for everything the game has given us as well as the love and support we’ve felt from fans everywhere we’ve been,” he said. ”That’s been especially true in Arizona, where we never expected to end up but wound up being such a special place for us.”
Cardinals center A.Q. Shipley, through Twitter, congratulated Palmer on ”one hell of a career.”
”My favorite all-time teammate is walking away on his terms,” Shipley said. ”Not many people have that opportunity. It’s been an honor and a privilege to block for you and be your teammate. Enjoy retirement brother!”
Cardinals star running back David Johnson, also on Twitter Adidas Drew Doughty Jersey , praised the leadership of Palmer and Arians.
”They have taught me so much on/off the field,” Johnson wrote. ”I seriously owe so much to Carson & (at)BruceArians for how they have gotten me to where I am in my career/life today. I wish you all the best as you start the next stages of life!”
Palmer, with a career 62.5 percent completion rate, leaves as the only quarterback to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a season with three teams. He did it twice for Cincinnati, once for Oakland and three times with Arizona.
Palmer spent seven years with the Bengals, leaving in a dispute with owner Mike Brown that led him to hold out to start the 2011 season, saying he would retire if he wasn’t traded.
He eventually was dealt to Oakland for considerable compensation – a first-round draft pick in 2012 and second-rounder in 2013. Palmer started nine games for the Raiders that season. He put up big numbers with the Raiders but there was little success in wins and losses. Oakland eventually deemed him expendable and sent him to Arizona without much in return.
In addition to the two ACL injuries and this season’s broken arm, Palmer also was limited to four games in 2004 with an elbow injury and missed time with a concussion and shoulder injury in Arizona.
Still, Palmer said he would ”especially miss the grind” of being an NFL player.
”It’s the part I don’t think people fully appreciate,” he wrote, ”maybe because many NFL players make the game look so easy and effortless. The mental and physical preparation it takes to compete – week in and week out, year in and year out – is draining and grueling but has always been my favorite part.”
Now, Cardinals President Michael Bidwill and general manager Steve Keim are looking for a new coach and a new quarterback.
Several interviews for the coaching job reportedly have been lined up. Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin confirmed that the Cardinals had received permission to talk to Steelers offensive line coach and former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Munchak.
The departures of Arians and Palmer leave Larry Fitzgerald as the lone remaining member of the triumvirate that represented the core of the Cardinals’ push for a title the past five years.
Fitzgerald, 34 Adidas Anze Kopitar Jersey , caught 109 passes this season, second-most in the NFL, and has a contract for next season. But he has said he will take some time before deciding whether to return.
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TORONTO — The New York Yankees will open an 11-game road trip in Toronto on Friday, a journey that will take them to the All-Star break.
But the Yankees received some bad news on what was an otherwise a happy Fourth of July.
After the Yankees defeated the Atlanta Braves 6-2 in the rubber match of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, it was revealed that their superb rookie second baseman Gleyber Torres had a hip strain that will sideline him until at least mid-July.
Torres will be on the disabled list when the Yankees (56-28) open a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays (40-46) at the Rogers Centre.
The Yankees will start right-hander Sonny Gray (5-6, 5.44 ERA) against Blue Jays right-hander Sam Gaviglio (2-2, 3.97).
Torres was removed from the game Wednesday during the fourth inning and an MRI showed a strain.
“Any time you’re talking about a groin, a hamstring, quads or a hip — once you have a strain in there, you can punch through it or make it a worse strain,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “So, I think the wise thing is to do this now. Gleyber wants to take a couple of days and work through it, but I think he also understands this is the best thing for him and for us.”
Infielder Tyler Wade will be recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the game on Friday. After going 3-for-35 (.086) in 13 games with New York early in the season, Wade was demoted to the RailRiders and batted .271/.332/.376 with two homers and 18 RBIs.
Torres is batting .294/.350/.555 in 63 games with 15 homers and 42 RBIs for the Yankees since being called up from Triple-A April 22.
The Blue Jays lost their game Wednesday to the New York Mets 6-3 to split the two-game interleague set. They are 3-3 on the homestand and 23-23 overall at home.
Gray has pitched well at the Rogers Centre, going 2-3 with a 1.88 ERA in seven career starts while pitching for the Yankees and the Oakland Athletics Adidas Dustin Brown Jersey , who traded him to New York during last season.
The 28-year-old is 4-3 with a 2.71 ERA in 11 career starts against Toronto. As a Yankee, he is 1-1 with a 2.96 ERA in five starts against the Blue Jays, and he is 0-0 with a 3.52 ERA in three starts this season.
Gray has lost his past two starts, including Saturday against the Boston Red Sox when he went 2 1/3 innings, his shortest of the season, and allowed six earned runs.
“That was embarrassing for me and I think for everybody in here,” Gray said. “I haven’t beat a lot of teams since I’ve been here. I’ve been bad against the Red Sox, I’ve been bad against a lot of teams. I don’t think one particular team you can say has my number or whatever. I’ve been bad against multiple teams.”
“The good thing about Sonny is, he’s got the equipment to get this right,” Boone said. “He’s got the stuff to be the same pitcher he’s been at times in his career. This guy’s still a dude. He’s got to dig his heels in and it’s on all of us to try and help unlock that.”
Gaviglio has faced the Yankees once in his career, pitching seven scoreless innings against them June 6 in a no decision as New York won 3-0 in 13 innings.
In his most recent start, the 28-year-old allowed three runs, four hits and three walks in seven innings Saturday against the Detroit Tigers but did not factor in the decision. Toronto won the game 4-3 on Justin Smoak’s leadoff homer in the bottom of the ninth inning.
This will be Gaviglio’s 11th appearance and ninth start with Toronto after going 0-0 with a 1.86 ERA in five starts with Triple-A Buffalo.
The Blue Jays made two moves before the game Wednesday, designating right-handed reliever Preston Guilmet for assignment and returning left-hander Tim Mayza on option to Buffalo. Right-handers Luis Santos and Rhiner Cruz were called up from Buffalo. Each had a scoreless relief outing against the Mets.