Player Roster

2009 HIGHLIGHTS: GENERAL: Two-time Pro Bowler started all 16 games, after missing 12 games last season due to elbow injury ... Opened season by leading team to a remarkable early string of comebacks ... In four of the first five games, he led drives of 70 yards or more in the last 2:00 to gain a lead or a tie ... For the season, completed 282 passes in 466 attempts (60.5 percent) for 3094 yards ... His 21 TD passes included Chicago game, in which he threw five with no INTs ... Had 13 INTs on the season, and a season passer rating of 83.6 ... Had key rushing gains in wins at Cleveland and at Baltimore … Voted AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 7, after posting career-high 146.7 passer rating in 45-10 win vs. Chicago ... Maintains Bengals career record in passer rating (87.9), and also holds team’s all-time best completion percentage (63.2).

COMEBACK WINS: Palmer led Bengals from fourth-quarter deficit to a victory in team’s first three division games ... On Sept. 27 vs. Pittsburgh, led drives of 85 and 71 yards in fourth quarter as Bengals rallied from 20-9 deficit to 23-20 win ... Winning TD pass vs. Pittsburgh was four-yarder to WR Andre Caldwell with 0:14 to play, and Palmer followed that with two-point conversion pass to RB Brian Leonard  … Completed another fourth-quarter comeback win Oct. 4 at Cleveland, with a 70-yard drive for a tying two-yard TD pass to Chad Ochocinco, followed by 67-yard overtime drive for the winning field goal ... Passing totals at Cleveland of 23-for-44 with 230 yards, two TDs and one INT ... Passed 18-for-31 with 271 yards, one TD and one INT on Oct. 11 at Baltimore, leading the 10th win of his career with a fourth-quarter comeback ... Winning drive at Baltimore was 80 yards on 11 plays, capped by 20-yard TD pass to Caldwell with 0:22 left.

THREAT ON THE GROUND: Palmer has scored three rushing TDs this season, one more than he had tallied in 65 career games entering 2009. His rushing total of 91 yards this season is already a career high. He made the key gain of overtime FG drive at Cleveland when he scrambled for 15 yards to Browns 26 on a fourth-and-11 play, and he had a six-yard run on fourth-and-one during game-winning TD drive Oct. 11 at Baltimore.

MORE GAME-BY-GAME: In season opener Sept. 13 vs. Denver, led 91-yard TD drive late in fourth quarter for 7-6 lead, only to see Broncos steal victory with deflected 87-yard TD pass with 0:11 to play ... Posted 93.3 passer rating in win Sept. 20 at Green Bay, on 15-of-23 for 185 yards with three TDs and two INTs, and also scored third rushing TD of his career on one-yard sneak  ... On Oct. 18 vs. Houston, completed 23-of-35 for 259 yards, one TD and one INT … Posted a career-high passer rating of 146.7 in win Oct. 25 vs. Chicago, completing 20-of-24 for 233 yards, with five TDs and no INTs ... Chicago game marked the second-most TD passes of his career, and his best TD-INT differential at plus-five (tied Boomer Esiason’s club record for TD-INT differential) ... On Nov. 8 vs. Baltimore, posted 91.0 passer rating on 20-of-33 (61.5 percent) for 224 yards, with one TD (six yards to Andre Caldwell) and no INTs … Passed 18-for-30 for 178 yards, with no TDs and no INTs, for a passer rating of 76.8 in win Nov. 15 at Pittsburgh … Also vs. Pittsburgh, led the team back from a 9-6 halftime deficit, directed team on a total of four field goal drives and kept the offense turnover-free … Went 14-for-22 passing for 207-0-1 on Nov. 22 at Oakland, with his INT coming on a desperation ‘Hail Mary’ on last play of the game … Helped direct 210-yard team rushing game Nov. 29 vs. Cleveland, with a 12-yard rush to set up a FG, and he passed 13-for-24 for 110-0-0, with a TD pass to TE J.P. Foschi on a third-and goal play from Browns four ... Passed 17-of-29 for 220-1-2 on Dec. 6 vs. Detroit, leading offense to third straight game of over 38:00 in possession time (38:48) while hitting Chad Ochocinco for 36-yard TD … On Dec. 20 at San Diego, posted personal season highs in completions and yards while passing 27-for-40 for 314-2-1 ... TD passes at San Diego were two yards to Laveranues Coles and 49 yards to Chad Ochocinco) … Also at San Diego, rushed to score the first two-point conversion of his career, and made a diving recovery of a Caldwell fumble at the Chargers 45 in the fourth quarter to preserve the FG drive that tied the game at 24 ... On Dec. 27 vs. Kansas City, led offense on 14-play, 98-yard game-winning drive (six-for-eight, 63 yards passing) late in the fourth quarter, capped by six-yard TD to Ochocinco with 2:03 remaining … Passing totals vs. Kansas City were 17-for-25 for 139-2-1, with first TD going 10 yards to Coles … Had his least productive pro game as a starter in loss Jan. 3 at N.Y. Jets, passing 1-for-11 for zero net yards with an INT … Sat out the final three preseason games, recovering from a sprained ankle suffered Aug. 14 at New Orleans.

PREVIOUS SEASONS: 2008 - Had a streak of 51 consecutive starts before missing Sept. 28 vs. Browns ... Held to 99 passing yards, third-lowest of his career, on Sept. 7 at Baltimore, completing 10-of-25 with no TDs and one INT ... Passed 16-for-27 Sept. 14 vs. Tennessee, for 134-0-2 ... Hit stride Sept. 21 at N.Y. Giants, posting 98.9 passer rating on 27-of-39 for 286 yards, with a 17-yard TD pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh and no INTs ... Also was 3-for-23 rushing at Giants ... On Oct. 5 at Dallas, completed 23-of-39 for 217 yards, with two TDs and one INT ... Both TD passes at Dallas were to Houshmandzadeh, covering 18 yards in third quarter and 10 yards in fourth quarter.

2007 - In season-opening win Sept. 10 vs. Baltimore, posted 100.3 rating, passing 20-of-32 for 194 yards with two TDs (39 yards to Chad Johnson and seven yards to T.J. Houshmandzadeh) and no INTs ... On Sept. 23 at Seattle, passed 27-for-43 for 342 yards, his second-most passing yards of the season ... On Oct. 21 vs. N.Y. Jets, passed 14-for-21 for 226 in comeback victory ... Posted 102.2 rating on Oct. 28 vs. Pittsburgh, passing 23-for-31 for 205-1-0 ... Had 91.7 rating in win Nov. 11 at Baltimore, passing 23-for-34 for 271-0-0 ... His career-high 37 completions Nov. 18 vs. Arizona were second-most in Bengals history (Ken Anderson, 40), and came on tied-for-career-high 52 attempts, for 324 yards with two TDs and four INTs ... Posted 113.0 rating Nov. 25 vs. Tennessee, passing 32-for-38 for 283-3-1, with career-high 84.2 completion percentage ... All three TD passes vs. Tennessee were to Chad Johnson (10-yarder in second quarter, two-yarder in third quarter and three-yarder in fourth quarter) ... On Dec. 2 at Pittsburgh, held to a career-low 38.6 completion percentage, going 17-for-44 ... Posted 97.8 rating Dec. 15 at San Francisco, with a 52-yard TD to Chris Henry ... Passed 11-for-21 for season-low 115 yards Dec. 23 vs. Cleveland, but had five-yard TD pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the win ... Finished season Dec. 30 at Miami with his highest passer rating of year (121.4), going 23-for-32 for 316-3-1, including season-long TD pass of 70 yards to Chad Johnson in second quarter ... His other two TD passes at Miami were two yards to Chad Johnson in first quarter and four yards to Antonio Chatman in second quarter.

2006 - Posted three straight passer ratings of 120 or more in Games 9-11, first career instance of even two straight games over 120 ... Had a streak of 153 consecutive passes without an INT, dating from second half of Sept. 24 Pittsburgh game through end of Oct. 29 Atlanta contest ... On Sept. 24 at Pittsburgh, tied his career high with four TDs (tied for AFC high for the season), passing 18-of-26 for 193 yards, with two INTs ... TD passes at Pittsburgh were 16 and three yards to Chris Henry in second quarter, and nine and 30 yards to T.J. Houshmandzadeh in fourth quarter ... On Oct. 22 vs. Carolina, led an 86-yard, 13-play TD drive in the fourth quarter, bringing Bengals back from 14-10 deficit for 17-14 win ... Winning drive vs. Carolina featured a fourth-and-one gamble, with a 32-yard completion to Chad Johnson to the Panthers 3-yard line ... On Nov. 12 vs. San Diego, posted career highs in passing yards (440) and completions (31), and was on throwing end as Chad Johnson posted Bengals-record 260 receiving yards, including 74-yard TD catch that was Bengals longest scrimmage play of year ... On Nov. 19 at New Orleans, threw 14-for-22 for 275-3-1, with all three TDs to Chad Johnson - 41 yards in first quarter, 60 yards in fourth quarter and four yards in fourth quarter ... On Nov. 26 at Cleveland, passed 25-of-32 for 275-3-1, posting season-best completion percentage of 78.1 ... In win Nov. 30 vs. Baltimore, got Bengals' lone TD on 40-yard flea-flicker pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh, as RB Rudi Johnson took a handoff and pitched back to Palmer before the pass ... On Dec. 24 at Denver, threw 10-yard TD pass to Houshmandzadeh with 41 seconds left in the fourth quarter, apparently for a tying TD, but Bengals failed to convert PAT and lost, 24-23 ... Threw a pair of fourth-quarter TD passes Dec. 31 vs. Pittsburgh, both times overcoming Steelers leads, but Steelers eventually won in overtime.

2005 - Named by the NFL as AFC Offensive Player of the Month for September, when he led the team to a 3-0 record while posting a 114.0 passer rating (69-of-97, 71.1 percent, for 786-8-2) ... For the season, his 1013 snaps played ranked third on the offense and was 95.0 percent of the team total ... Opened season Sept. 11 at Cleveland with 26-for-34 passing for 280-2-1, with TD passes of 20 yards in second quarter to WR Kevin Walter and 18 yards in third quarter to FB Jeremi Johnson ... On Sept. 18 vs. Minnesota, was 27-of-40 for season-high 337 yards with three TDs and one INT, including 70-yard TD pass to WR Chad Johnson on game's second scrimmage play ... On Sept. 25 at Chicago, posted a season-high 130.3 passer rating, completing 16-of-23 for 169-3-0 ... Posted 107.0 passer rating Oct. 2 vs. Houston, and led 13-play, 61-yard drive for go-ahead FG in fourth quarter ... On Oct.16 at Tennessee, posted career-high 81.8 completion percentage (27-of-33) ... His 100.2 passer rating Nov. 20 vs. Indianapolis included 68-yard TD pass to Chad Johnson in first quarter ... Logged a 124.6 passer rating Nov. 27 vs. Baltimore, with 54-yarder to Chad Johnson among his three TD throws ... Had 101.5 rating in crucial win Dec. 4 at Pittsburgh, passing 22-for-38 for 227-3-0 ... TD passes at Pittsburgh were 43 yards to T.J. Houshmandzadeh in first quarter, one yard to TE Reggie Kelly in second and six yards to Houshmandzadeh in second ... On Dec. 11 vs. Cleveland, had four-yard TD pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh on third-and-goal play in third quarter, and led 12-play drive that consumed final 4:19 for game-winning FG at the gun ... Threw for three TDs in division-clinching win Dec. 18 at Detroit, giving him team-record 30 for the season (breaking Ken Anderson mark of 29) ... Had 41-yard TD pass to Chad Johnson Dec. 24 vs. Buffalo ... Suffered slight groin pull late in the Buffalo game, but came back to start Jan. 1 at Kansas City ... Groin pull was not a factor at K.C., but Palmer played in only the first two offensive series, as numerous starters were rested in that game ... In Wild Card playoff 1-8-06 vs. Pittsburgh, played only two snaps before suffering knee injury, completing his only pass for 66 yards to Chris Henry on the play on which he was injured.

2004 - Made his regular-season playing debut, following his inactive rookie season, and took every offensive snap until he was sidelined by a knee ligament strain in Game 13, Dec. 12 at New England ... Did not play in Games 14-16 (designated the inactive third QB) ... In the first 13 games, showed tremendous progress as the season went on, posting a 96.9 passer rating in his last six games after scoring 62.6 for his first seven games ... Named AFC Offensive Player of the Week after leading 27-26 comeback win Dec. 5 at Baltimore, in which he threw three TD passes in fourth quarter ... Also led a fourth-quarter comeback in 58-48 win Nov. 28 vs. Cleveland, and led a tie-breaking FG drive in final minutes of Sunday nighter Sept. 19 vs. Miami (his first NFL win) ... For the season, completed 263-of-432 passes (60.9 percent) for 2897 yards, 18 TDs and 18 INTs ... Posted a 105.2 passer rating in NFL debut Sept. 12 at N.Y. Jets ... His first TD pass was six-yarder to RB Kenny Watson in third quarter at N.Y. ... Directed second national prime time win of the season in Monday night action Oct. 25 vs. Denver, completing 12-of-21 for 198-1-1, including a pair of 50-yard completions to WR Chad Johnson ... Scored his first NFL TD in Nov. 7 win vs. Dallas, on a two-yard bootleg for game's final scoring play, and had his longest pro completion when he connected with TE Matt Schobel for 76-yard score that put Bengals ahead of Cowboys 16-3 in third quarter ... Threw career-high four TD passes in win Nov. 28 vs. Cleveland ... On Dec. 5 at Baltimore, posted career highs in completions (29) and passing yards (382).

2003 - Drafted by Bengals in first round (No. 1 overall) ... Signed April 24, two days prior to draft ... Was inactive as the designated third QB in Games 1-5 ... Was No. 2 QB in Games 6-12 ... Returned to third QB role for Games 13-16, as coaches wanted veteran Shane Matthews available in No. 2 spot for team's late-season playoff bid ... In preseason, Palmer led the Bengals in passes (54), completions (37) and yards (451), with four TDs and four INTs ... Compiled an 87.8 preseason passer rating.

PALMER’S BENGALS RECORDS CHECK: Entering his seventh Bengals season, Palmer holds the following club records:
» CAREER — completion percentage (63.7), passer rating (88.9) and TD/INT ratio (1.6/1).
» SEASON — completions (373 in ’07), passing yards (4131 in ’07), TD passes (32 in ’05) and passer rating (101.1 in ’05); Palmer is also tied for most 300-yard passing games in a season (five in ’07).
» GAME — TD passes (six on 9-16-07 at Cleveland).

MORE ON PALMER RECORDS: 2007 — His club-record 373 completions broke his own mark of 345 from 2005 … His club-record 4131 passing yards broke mark of 4035 he had set in ’06 … Set Bengals game record with six TD passes at Cleveland. 2006 — Became first Bengal to pass for 4000 yards, finishing at 4035 to top previous Bengals season mark of 3959 by Boomer Esiason in 1986. 2005 — His NFL-leading 32 TD passes broke Bengals season record of 29 set by Ken Anderson in 1981 … His 345 completions broke Bengals mark of 326 set by Jeff Blake in 1995 … Posted Bengals-record for season passer rating (101.1), topping Ken Anderson mark of 98.4 in 1981, and ranked second in NFL in passer rating … His league-leading plus-20 differential between TD passes and INTs (32-12) bettered previous Bengals mark of plus-19 by Ken Anderson in ’81 (29-10) … Tied NFL record with nine consecutive games of 100-plus passer rating (streak covered his last three games of ’04 and first six of ’05) … Tied NFL record for most 100-plus passer ratings in a season (12).

FIFTH-FASTEST: Palmer threw his 100th career TD pass Dec. 15, 2007 at San Francisco, reaching the century mark in his 59th NFL game. Based on games played, he is the fifth-fastest passer in NFL history to reach 100 TDs. The only four QBs to reach 100 faster are Dan Marino (44 games), Kurt Warner (50), Johnny Unitas (53) Peyton Manning (56).

FOURTH-QUARTER RALLIES: Palmer has seven career wins in which the team has trailed in the final period, and four additional wins in games where the score was tied in the fourth quarter.

BEST OF THE BEST: On 2-10-07, Palmer became the first Bengal to win MVP honors in the Pro Bowl. He passed for 2 TDs and led the drive for a winning FG as the AFC prevailed, 31-28. His TD passes were 72 yards to Indianapolis' Reggie Wayne and 42 yards to Bengal teammate Chad Johnson. On the winning FG drive, late in the fourth quarter, a Palmer pass attempt to Chad Johnson drew a 39-yard interference penalty against the NFC, setting up the winning kick by putting the ball on the NFC 2. Palmer had a 127.1 passer rating for the game, with 8-for-17 passing for 190 yards, 2 TDs and no INTs.

COLLEGE: Won the 2002 Heisman Trophy at Southern California, leading the Trojans to 11-2 record, including 38-17 Orange Bowl win over Iowa ... Played 53 games with 45 starts at USC, competing over five seasons (1998-2002) because of injury-shortened '99 campaign that counted as a redshirt year ... As a senior, set USC season records for completions (309), passing yards (3942) and TD passes (33), and threw only 10 INTs ... Left college as the Pac-10 Conference's all-time leader in passing yards (11,818), completions (927) and total offense (11,621) ... His 72 career TD passes set a USC record ... Led Trojans to wins in the last eight games of his senior season, with the team averaging 41.5 points per game during that stretch ... Threw at least two TD passes in nine straight games as a senior ... As a sophomore in 1999, Palmer led USC to victories in its first two games, but suffered broken right collarbone just before halftime of Game 3, Sept. 25 at Oregon ... He was sidelined for remainder of the '99 season, which was allowed to count for him as a redshirt year ... His four starts in 1998 made him only the second true freshman to start a game at QB for the storied USC program (joined Rob Johnson, who started one game in '91).

CARSON AND ARCHIE: Palmer was the second Heisman Trophy winner drafted by the Bengals. The first was Ohio State RB Archie Griffin, a two-time Heisman winner. Griffin was the No. 24 overall pick in the 1976 NFL Draft, the second of two first-rounders by Cincinnati. He played eight seasons (1976-83) for the Bengals, rushing for 2808 yards and catching 192 passes for 1607 yards.

HALFWAY TO A MILLION: Palmer and his wife, Shaelyn, established the Carson Palmer Foundation in 2004, with the mission of supporting children’s charities in both his hometown community and his NFL home city. The Palmers have donated both time and money to the Foundation, focusing on helping abused and abandoned children in the Orange County (Calif.) and Cincinnati areas. Through Carson’s two annual charity events, more than $500,000 has been raised — for Lighthouse Youth Services in Cincinnati and for Hillview Acres Children’s Home in California.

PERSONAL: Hometown is Mission Viejo, Calif. … Attended Santa Margarita High School (in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), where as a senior in 1997 he passed for 31 TDs and just four INTs, leading his team to a 14-0 record and its second consecutive state championship … Set 27 school records in high school … Married (wife Shaelyn), with two children … Hobbies include golf, paintball and fishing … Brother, Jordan, played QB at Texas-El Paso and is entering his second Bengals season in 2009.