The Cardinals have opened contract negotiations with quarterback Carson Palmer‘s agent, David Dunn, and hope to reach agreement before the end of the season, according to Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic. Palmer, for all intents and purposes, is scheduled for free agency at the conclusion of this season.
“I won’t get into specific points of the negotiations but we’ve had some dialogue with Dave Dunn,” General Manager Steve Keim said. “He (Palmer) has done a great job for us.”
Palmer, 35 in December, has already missed three games this season thanks to a nerve injury in his right shoulder. However, he played last week against the Redskins and the Cards are confident the injury won’t affect Palmer long-term. In total, Arizona is 14-7 with coach Bruce Arians on the sidelines and Palmer under center.
Backup Drew Stanton is under contract through 2015 and rookie Logan Thomas, who got his opportunity to start earlier this year, has a four-year deal. Still, it sounds like the Cardinals are intent on sticking with Palmer in 2015 and possibly beyond.
Palmer is making $9MM this season and even with a dearth of quality quarterbacks out there, it would be a surprise to see a significant pay bump in average annual salary. And, at 35 with some health troubles, the veteran doesn’t seem likely to get a substantial guarantee beyond 2015.