Carson Palmers Says He’d Like To Play Next Year If “My Body Responds”

Yesterday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that Cardinals’ brass still doesn’t know if QB Carson Palmer or WR Larry Fitzgerald will be returning for the 2017 season or retire from the NFL.

However, Palmer recently texted Dan Bickley of AZCentral.com that he would like to play if his body holds up during the offseason.

“I guess nothing is ever official until it is, but I’d like to play if my body responds the way I hope,” Palmer said, via Pro Football Talk.

Rapoport did say that both Palmer and Fitzgerald have had “frequent” conversations with both the coaching staff and team about their situations and the team would like to know what they’re thinking by the middle of February. Even so, Rapoport added that there’s currently no hard deadline for either to make a decision.

A source tells Rapoport that if Palmer retires, it’s more likely Fitzgerald would call it a career, unless he knows who will be the team’s replacement at quarterback.

Rapoport adds that key members of the Cardinals believe both will return, but this optimism could be based on hope more than anything else.

Others around the league seem to think Palmer may have played his last down but people who know Palmer have told Rapoport that he still doesn’t know for sure.

Palmer, 37, was in the third year of his four-year, $58.5 million contract and set to make a base salary of $6.35 million for the 2016 season when the Cardinals signed him to a one-year extension worth $24.35 million before the start of the season.

In 2016, Palmer has appeared in 15 games and thrown for 4,233 yards while completing 61 percent of his passes to go along with 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 17 quarterback out of 34 qualifying players.

We’ll have more regarding Palmer as the news is available.