Bruce Arians: Carson Palmer 'can play easily until he’s 42 if he wants to'

The Cardinals quarterback is just 37

Carson Palmer considered retiring as recently as this offseason before he ultimately decided to return for the 2017 season. But according to his coach, Bruce Arians, Palmer doesn't need to contemplate the end of his career because if he wanted to, he could play for another five years. 

On Wednesday, Arians told "Tiki and Tierney" on CBS Sports Radio and CBS Sports Network that Palmer has the ability to play until he's 42 years old. He just has to want to.

"Physically, body-wise, it's like he's 28 right now," Arians said. "Sports science is amazing right now. He can play easily until he's 42 if he wants to. He is hungry as hell right now. I wouldn't let him go in OTAs. It was like taking candy away from a kid."

That seems a bit far-fetched even if Palmer played some of the best football of his career during the past couple of seasons. In 2015, he was a legitimate MVP candidate, throwing for 4,671 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 11 touchdowns. Though he struggled at the onset of last season, he finished strong by posting an 11:3 TD:INT ratio and a 95.9 passer rating in the final five games of the season. Those aren't the numbers of a player who needs to retire.

But the Cardinals can't pretend that Palmer will be able to maintain his level of production for another five or so seasons. Maybe it'll happen and if it does, then they'll be set up beautifully. But if Palmer shows signs of aging, the Cardinals need to be ready for the next era. Most quarterbacks aren't Tom Brady, who is still playing like an MVP at age 39. 

That's why they need to address the future of the quarterback situation this coming offseason. Palmer already weighed retirement this year. So there's a chance he could retire even if he's performing at a high level. 

The problem, of course, is that the Cardinals likely won't be in a position to take a top quarterback in next year's draft. Instead, they'll have to do what the Cowboys did: take a developmental quarterback in the middle rounds and hope he winds up being the steal of the draft.

Unfortunately for them, for every Dak Prescott, there are dozens of Christian Hackenbergs, Bryce Pettys, and Ryan Malletts out there.