Carson Palmer not a Hall of Famer per ESPN round table

There may be a debate, maybe not, as we head into the next several seasons.

The debate will be whether or not former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer is a Hall of Famer.

ESPN polled a number of their writers, who have Hall of Fame votes, whether or not they see a group of players in the Hall. Palmer was among them and here is what they had to say about Palmer’s case and his chances:

No ring? No problem. Palmer put up Hall of Fame-worthy numbers throughout his career. Everywhere you look to describe Palmer’s career -- except for Super Bowls -- his case for a gold jacket strengthens. He ranks 12th in yards and touchdowns thrown -- two of the most illustrious lists in league history. All those ranked ahead of him either are in the Hall of Fame or are likely to end up in Canton. Palmer threw the second-most touchdowns by a quarterback to never start in a Super Bowl, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He’s also one of four quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 100 touchdown passes for two different teams. The other three were Kurt Warner, Fran Tarkenton and Peyton Manning -- two Hall of Famers and a surefire inductee. -- Josh Weinfuss, Cardinals reporter

It is quite the career of accomplishments for the former Cardinals QB.

Yet, Palmer had two negatives that really played into the reality that he is not a Hall of Fame player, that Brian Burke laid out:

Unfortunately for Palmer, he played in a golden age of NFL quarterbacks. His career overlapped with at least six other Hall of Fame passers -- two already in and four waiting or still playing. He was an efficient and effective passer, but this isn’t the Hall of Efficiency.

That was one of the biggest things stacked against Palmer, the era he played in made his accomplishments under appreciated, but also will keep them overlooked. He ran side-by-side with Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning and Drew Brees. Right behind him drafted later on were Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, and Matthew Stafford, all who will pass him with continued health.

That doesn’t even take into account Russell Wilson, Cam Newton and Andrew Luck. It was a bad era to be Palmer.

Finally, something that will be a very difficult sell:

Palmer’s teams had just four winning seasons in that span, and he played in only four playoff games, notching one win and one torn ACL. It’s regrettable to say for such a reliable player, but this was an easy vote for our committee. -- Burke

Palmer put up a ton of numbers, but they never amounted to much. That will ultimately be the difference between a player like Kurt Warner and Carson Palmer, who look similar in their career averages, but the end results were much different.