Arizona Cardinals QB Carson Palmer has been lost for the season, coach Bruce Arians told reporters Monday. Palmer suffered a torn ACL in his left knee yesterday and will be placed on the injured reserve for the remainder of the year.
Palmer will not return to the lineup even if and when the Cardinals make the playoffs. Arizona (8-1) currently has the best record in the NFL and sits comfortably atop the NFC West.
Palmer threw for 241 yards in the Cardinals’ 31-14 win over the St. Louis Rams yesterday before being sacked early in the fourth quarter. Rams safety Mark Barron wrapped-up Palmer’s left leg with just more than 11 minutes left in the game. Palmer immediately went down and had to be carted off the field.
Cardinals coach Arians said Monday Palmer will have surgery on his left knee in two weeks, once the swelling in his knee goes down. Arians said Palmer won’t return to team activities until June or July, well past the Super Bowl in February.
Palmer’s latest knee injury is ironic for two reasons. For starters, he tore both the ACL and MCL in that same knee in a 2006 playoff game. Secondly, the injury came just two days after Palmer signed a three-year, $50 million contract extension, a reported $20.5 million of which is guaranteed.