Carson Palmer Retires Just 24 Hours After Bruce Arians

PHOENIX, AZ – They came to the Cardinals together. Now they will leave together. Just one day after Head Coach Bruce Arians announced his retirement, Quarterback Carson Palmer followed suit.

"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," Palmer wrote in a letter announcing his retirement. "The answer was almost always the same. You just know.

"For me that time is now. Why? Quite simply, I just know."

Arians announced his retirement in a tearful press conference on Monday.

It's been a tough season for Palmer.

In week seven, the team went to London to take on the Rams. They left, having lost the game 33-0 and having lost Palmer to a broken left arm. That was it for the season for him.

Palmer. who won the Heisman Trophy in 2002 while with the University of Southern California, started his career with the Cincinnati Bengals who made him the number one overall pick in the 2003 draft.

He then spent two seasons with the Oakland Raiders before joining the Cards in 2013.

His best season came in 2015 when he guided the team to a 13-3 record and the NFC championship game. He threw for 35 touchdowns and 4,671 yards.

He ends his career 11th in passing with 46,247 yards, 11th in touchdowns with 294, and 10th in completions with 3,941.

Palmer's retirement puts some pressure on the team. All three of their quarterbacks still on roster – Matt Barkley, Blaine Gabbert, and Drew Stanton – all become free agent at the end of the season.

The team is also waiting to hear from wide receiver standout Larry Fitzgerald if he is coming back for another season.

Photo of Carson Palmer throwing a pass earlier this season against the Philadelphia Eagles via Mitchell Leff, stringer/Getty Images Sports/Getty Omages