Who are the best passers in Cincinnati Bengals history?

Number 4: Carson Palmer

Ah, Carson Palmer, the man who was going to finally bring a Super Bowl title to Cincinnati. He was drafted first overall in 2003  and quickly helped the Bengals turn from laughing stock into a playoff contender. Palmer was a prolific passer for the Bengals early on in his career and even had them in a home playoff game against the Steelers. Of course, disaster struck and he tore his ACL, MCL, and Meniscus when Kimo Von Oelhoffen tackled him low just minutes into the game. The Bengals would go onto lose the game and even though Palmer had some really solid seasons after healing from his injury, he would never be quite the same after that.

Palmer makes the list because of his impressive passing numbers (22,694 yards, 154 touchdowns, and an 86.9 passer rating) as well as his importance to the franchise. Palmer helped orchestrate a resurgence from the terrible teams of the 90s to the more successful late 2000s. He led the Bengals to two playoff appearances. One in 2005 and one in 2009, but came up empty in both games. He eventually got into arguments with management which caused bad feelings on both sides. Amid talks of an early retirement, the Bengals traded Palmer to the Raiders. After leaving the Raiders he ended up with the Arizona Cardinals where he is still performing at a very high level.

While Palmer’s importance can’t be understated, his lack of playoff victories and his tumultuous split from the Bengals in 2011 keep him from being ranked any higher.