With Carson Palmer done for the year and Drew Stanton’s current MCL/ACL injuries leaving his availability far less likely than “day-to-day,” the question of Ryan Lindley versus Logan Thomas nearly had another answer: Kurt Warner.
On NFL Network, Warner admitted that he considered coming out of retirement after Stanton suffered a knee injury on Thursday night. Warner said that he quickly dismissed the idea of coming back, realizing he’s five years older and slower than he was during a 2009 playoff run that started with a game for the ages against the Cardinals and ended with a game against the Saints that may have aged Warner five years in just a couple of hours.
Still, it was hardly a passing thought for the undrafted free agent who bagged groceries and played Arena Football before a torn ACL suffered by Trent Green opened the door for an out-of-nowhere rise to stardom.
“It amazed me I thought about it as much as I actually thought about it,” Warner said.
Though he says he won’t be back, don’t be shocked if Warner starts working out a little harder and/or if he discreetly receives a copy of the Cardinals’ playbook and game film. If Lindley goes down next Sunday night against the Seahawks, thoughts of a short-term comeback could return for Warner, who’d have a no-lose opportunity to attach the unlikeliest of epilogues to one of the best stories in pro football history.