In November 2014, a couple of days after the Arizona Cardinals signed their then 34-year-old starting quarterback to a three-year $50 million deal, Carson Palmer re-tore his left ACL in a game against the St. Louis Rams to prematurely end his season.

The 11-year veteran returned for the Cardinals in this year's OTAs ahead of schedule, and for three weeks he was just participating in 11-on-11 drills without any rushing defenses.

Like Us on Facebook

Head coach Bruce Arians was trying to protect his fragile signal caller from unknowing rookies that might become too aggressive and also to preserve him for the start of the regular season in September.

But on Tuesday Palmer was cleared to play live drills that included full-contact scrimmages. The Washington Post reported that he is already 100 percent and cleared to play, making the old hand excited and motivated.

"I'm ready. I'm excited. I'm 100 percent. I'm cleared," Palmer told ESPN.

For sure, Arians wants Palmer to earn the $16.5 million annual salary that the front office promised him. But apart from that, the coach also intends to replicate the team's success last season during their first nine games when the quarterback was still around and they were sporting an 8-1 win-loss record.

"He knows the clock's ticking," Arians said, referring to his experienced QB and showing some sense of urgency. "We all know the clock's ticking. It is for a lot of guys on this team. You get a window to make a run and most of it depends on your quarterback. Right now it's our window to make this run with him."

After Palmer was injured in Week 10 last season, the Cards went 3-4 the rest of the way. They still advanced to the playoffs but was beaten by the Carolina Panthers in the Wild Card round, 27-16.

This year, the coach would want to sustain the run beyond the regular season, and he wants it with his senior player around.

If Palmer's words hold true that he is indeed healthy and ready to lead his team this coming season, then the Cardinals would again be one of the teams to beat in the NFC, as per Bleacher Report. They would certainly be a top playoff team, perhaps only behind the powerhouse Seattle Seahawks.

TagsNFL, NFL 2015, NFL news, NFL News 2015, NFL rumors, NFL Rumors 2015, Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals