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Carson Hilton Palmer (born December 27, 1979) is an American football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC and won the Heisman Trophy in 2002. The Cincinnati Bengals, for whom he played eight seasons, chose him with the first overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. Palmer also played for the Oakland Raiders for two seasons.

Palmer was born in Fresno, California. By the time he was in seventh grade, Palmer had remarkable size and arm strength for his age. His father, Bill Palmer, enrolled him in private classes in Orange County, where he was later taught by quarterback guru Bob Johnson.

He went on to attend Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. At Santa Margarita High School, he would play on their high school football team. As the quarterback on the freshman team, Palmer was so good that members of the varsity team would halt practices to watch him play. After a successful stint as a starter his junior year, Palmer started to field offers from USC, Notre Dame, Colorado, Miami (Florida), and reportedly San Diego State. He followed up a stellar junior season with a remarkable senior season, cementing himself as one of the most touted players ever to come out of Santa Margarita Catholic High School. In his senior season, he led Orange County with a 203.9 quarterback rating. He was named to the first-team all-league and All-CIF despite suffering a stress fracture in his right foot.

On July 5, 2003, Palmer wed former USC soccer player, Shaelynn, whom he met during freshman orientation. In the off-season, they reside in San Diego, California. His brother, Jordan Palmer, was his best man at the wedding. His wife gave birth to twins, son Fletch and daughter Elle, on January 20, 2009.[40]

He is a devout Christian, "I've been a Christian as long as I can remember. I've always been in church with my family through high school and college."

Following his first reconstructed knee surgery and learning that the tendon used for his knee came from a cadaver, Palmer had his wife drive him to the local Department of Motor Vehicles to have his driver's license updated to make him an organ donor as gratitude to the family who donated the tendon to him.