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After 14 years in the NFL— and seven seasons as the Cincinnati Bengals' quarterback— Carson Palmer is heading back to his alma mater as the newest football coach for Santa Margarita High School, per Eric Sondheimer of the Los Angeles Times on X.
Palmer coached the freshman team a season ago, as his son was the team's starting quarterback.
After going 5-7 under coaches Anthony Rouzier and Steve Fifita in 2024, the team announced that Palmer would take over as the new head coach on Thursday.
However, the former Bengals quarterback isn't the only NFL player to bring their talents back down to the high school level. Former NFL journeyman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater recently switched to coaching high school football, leading his high school team to a state championship game in his first season after retiring.
Not only is Palmer following in similar footsteps of former NFL quarterbacks, but it's somewhat resemblant to another recent coaching change.
Earlier in the week, Bill Belichick was named North Carolina's head football coach for the upcoming season, as it's seemingly trendy right now for NFL players and coaches to revert back to coaching a level lower than the one they made it to at their peak.
Former Bengals QB Carson Palmer becomes Santa Margarita High School head coach
Throughout Palmer's illustrious football career, he's been regarded as one of the higher-level quarterbacks to play the game.
Palmer was an All-American at USC, winning the Heisman trophy in 2002.
Then, following his impressive college football career, he was drafted No. 1 by the Bengals in 2003. Though he couldn't come away with a Super Bowl in his career, Palmer was a three-time Pro Bowler in his 14-year career.
Over 14 seasons, Palmer had a 92-88-1 record, completing 62.5% of his passes for 46,247 yards, 294 touchdowns, and 187 interceptions. Paired with NFL legend Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, he and Palmer were two staples of the early 2000s Bengals. And while it didn't amount to much postseason success, the two would impact the NFL for years.
Now, turning the clock back and returning to his former high school, Palmer looks to lead the Santa Margarita Eagles to greater heights as their newest head coach.
