Kurt Warner Was Willing to Listen to NFL Calls in 2014

With the recent shocking news of Phillip Rivers’ return to the NFL, another legendary quarterback revealed that he also thought about putting the pads back on for one last ride.

Kurt Warner won Super Bowl 34 with the St. Louis Rams’ ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ and made another appearance as a starter in the big game in Super Bowl 43 as a member of the Arizona Cardinals.

After a storied career that saw the former grocery bagger win a championship and an MVP, Warner retired from the NFL at the end of the 2009 season.

But it turns out that five years later, Warner was considering suiting up for one more ride.

Arizona’s Need at Quarterback

In 2014, the Cardinals sat at 11-5 under head coach Bruce Arians’ high-powered offense with dreams of making it back to the Super Bowl. But that dream was interrupted by the alarm clock of reality blasting in the dead of night.

Starting quarterback Carson Palmer, who was a perfect fit for Arians’ scheme, went down for the season in Week 10 after the signal caller tore his ACL. Backup Drew Stanton suffered his own series of setbacks, including a concussion and a knee injury that sidelined him from the 2014 playoffs.

“We Want Warner”

The Cardinals were desperate for help at the sport’s most important position, and some fans even went as far as to try and convince the 43-year-old Warner to come out of retirement.

And it turns out that Warner listened to those calls from fans and even considered making a comeback for his old team.

Warner revealed on X that he seriously contemplated it, but didn’t know if he could pull it off.

“Haha, I had started working out in the backyard in case I got the call,” Warner posted. “No idea if I could have done it, but was willing to listen!”

But the call never came Warner’s way, third stringer Ryan Lindley was the one who started for Arizona during its wildcard matchup against the Carolina Panthers.

The Cardinals put up just 78 total offensive yards in a 27-16 defeat that saw Lindley throw for just 82 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. 

The Cardinals might’ve been better if they dialed Warner’s phone number.