Former NFL QB Carson Palmer Lands New Coaching Gig at Alma Mater

Tom Dierberger | 14 Hours Ago

Former Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer waves to the crowd after his Ring of Honor induction ceremony in 2019. / Michael Chow/The Republic, Arizona Republic via Imagn Content Services, LLC

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Carson Palmer is heading back to the gridiron.

Eric Sondheimer of the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that the longtime NFL quarterback has been hired as the new head football coach at his alma mater, Santa Margarita High School in Southern California.

Palmer served as a volunteer coach on Santa Margarita's freshman team last season while his son Fletch started at quarterback. Fletch Palmer will be a sophomore next fall.

The job at Santa Margarita opened up after former coach Anthony Rouzier was placed on administrative leave in October following a locker room incident. The school later fired Rouzier, while noting in a statement that the players' "safety and well being" were never a concern during his tenure.

Palmer starred for Santa Margarita in the late 1990s, winning a pair of CIF Division V Southern Section championships in 1996 and '97. He went on to play five seasons at USC, taking home the Heisman Trophy in 2002 before being selected No. 1 by the Cincinnati Bengals in '03.

Across 14 NFL seasons, Palmer threw for 294 touchdowns and registered a career 87.9 passer rating for three teams—the Bengals, Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals. He was named to the Cardinals' Ring of Honor following his retirement in 2018.

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Published 14 Hours Ago

TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.