25 most sought after NFL quarterback draft prospects of all time
By Zach Bigalke
There was no question at all who was going to go No. 1 overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. Cincinnati was coming off a 2-14 season where they struggled to put points on the board. They were desperate for a quarterback who could provide more consistent play than the trio of Jon Kitna, Akili Smith and Gus Frerotte.
Waiting for them on the board was a southpaw quarterback from Southern Cal who had just led the Trojans back to prominence in Pete Carroll’s second season.
Carson Palmer, a four-year starter at USC, had been named the most outstanding player in college football and had just won the Orange Bowl over a No. 3 Iowa team. Thus, for the first time in 16 years, a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback was selected with the top pick.
Plenty of other teams could have used Palmer’s talent, but there was no way that Cincinnati was going to pass on the Trojans star. Palmer spent seven seasons with the Bengals, leading the team to two playoff appearances, but also struggling through injuries.
His best season came in 2005, when Palmer led the NFL with 32 touchdown passes and took the Bengals to the postseason for the first time since 1990. Palmer was injured in the AFC Wild Card game against Pittsburgh, blowing out his knee. The Steelers ended up winning 31-17 en route to winning Super Bowl XL.
Three years later, Palmer dealt with an elbow injury that eventually forced him to sit out most of the 2008 NFL season. After two more seasons with the Bengals, Palmer requested a trade that was initially rejected.
Palmer initially opted to retire rather than report back to Cincinnati. Eventually, the Bengals worked out a deal that sent Palmer to Oakland.
After going 8-19 in 27 starts for the Raiders, Palmer enjoyed a late-career renaissance in Arizona that included an ACL injury and a run to the NFC Championship game in 2015. Palmer retired after the 2017 NFL season with more than 46,000 career passing yards and 297 touchdowns through the air.