Kliff Kingsbury never got to coach quarterback Carson Palmer or be his NFL teammate. However, Palmer, who will be the Cardinals’ newest member of the Ring of Honor, made his impression on Kingsbury when he was preparing for the NFL draft in 2003.
Kingsbury met Palmer at the Senior Bowl that year and couldn’t believe what he saw. He thought Palmer was the perfect quarterback.
“I remember walking out there that first day, and it’s like this Greek god throwing lightning bolts,” Kingsbury said to reporters on Wednesday, according to the Arizona Republic’s Katherine Fitzgerald. “If God made a quarterback, (that’s) how he’s supposed to look, how’s he’s supposed to throw, how’s he’s supposed to drop, great charisma and personality. I just think the world of him. I’ve known him a long time and I was thrilled to death he is going to be inducted.”
Palmer was the No. 1 overall pick in 2003, while Kingsbury was selected in the sixth round. Palmer put up big numbers in his career but did not find much success until he joined the Cardinals in 2013. He was one of the most talented passers in the league. He put up huge numbers in 2015, setting almost every team single-season passing record. In just five years with Arizona, he is near the top of almost every significant passing category in team history.
He was great for the Cardinals, and clearly others have always believed that.
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