Former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer retired from playing football in 2018, but is now back on the gridiron in a new role: a high school football head coach.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Palmer was named the new head coach at his alma mater, California’s Santa Margarita Catholic High School, on Thursday.
“Coach Palmer was entrusted with the program as a player and now is entrusted as the program’s head coach,” Santa Margarita Vice President of Athletics Jim Hartigan said. “We are in good hands. I’m excited to see Carson lead our team. He is a player-centric leader who will surround himself with coaches with his same desire to continue the success of Eagle football.”
Santa Margarita Football is excited to announce the hiring of former Eagle and Heisman Trophy winner, Carson Palmer as our new head football coach.#GoEagles???? pic.twitter.com/bMrXbx245j
— SM Eagles Football (@SMCHS_Football) December 13, 2024
Santa Margarita is in dire need of someone who can regain the trust of its players and community after being involved in one of the most heinous high school football scandals of the 2024 season.
Palmer is replacing former head coach Anthony Rouzier, who was placed on administrative leave after alleged reports of multiple cases of sexual assault, initially reported on by the Orange County Register.
— Anthony Rouzier (@CoachRouz) December 13, 2024
It won’t be an easy task to wipe away the tarnished image of Santa Margarita, who finished 5-7 amidst the season’s controversy. But bringing back the greatest player to put on an Eagles’ jersey to its locker room is certainly a start.
Palmer led Santa Margarita to back-to-back state titles and earned All-American honors. Considered one of the nation’s best quarterbacks in the Class of 1998, Palmer went on to play at USC, where he was named the 2002 Heisman Trophy winner. He was selected as the first pick in the 2003 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.
After being traded to the Oakland Raiders in 2011, Palmer was traded again to the Cardinals in 2013.
Palmer is Arizona royalty. He was named to the Cardinals’ Ring of Honor after retiring from the NFL in 2018 after suiting up in cardinal red, white and black for five seasons. One is the best regular season in the team’s history.
In 2015, Palmer led the Cardinals to it’s most winningest season, finishing the year at 13-3. He led the team to its second conference championship in history, falling to the Carolina Panthers in the NFC championship. Palmer received his only All-Pro nod of his career and was named to his third and final Pro Bowl team, completing 342-537 passes (63.7%) for 35 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Over the course of his five-year Cardinal career, Palmer threw 16,782 yards, 105 touchdowns and 57 interceptions. In his 17-year NFL career, he totaled 46,247 yards, 294 touchdowns and 187 interceptions.
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Reporter Jordyn Bennett covers the Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix area sports and sports related topics. You can follow him on his X account, @j_bennett_live
