2. QB Carson Palmer, ARI

A 35-year-old quarterback tears his ACL six games into his 11th season in the NFL. He’s on his third team, and the road to recovery is most definitely a long one.

That sounds like the end of every veteran quarterback’s career–the painful injury that proves to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. But this was not the case for Carson Palmer after he tore his ACL six games into the 2014 season.

Rather than call it quits, the 11-year-veteran returned for his 12th season in 2015 and led the Arizona Cardinals to their first NFC West title since 2009. The 36-year-old Palmer completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 4,671 yards, 35 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2015, successfully leading the NFL’s number one offense to a first-round playoff bye.

Rodgers and Roethlisberger are both experienced veterans who have the potential to lead their team deep into the playoffs, the same goes for Newton who may have less experience but is riding one hell of a hot streak. But based on consistent production from Week 1 to Week 17, no quarterback has played better than Carson Palmer.

The only reason the number one player on this list ranks ahead of Palmer is because he has a personal vendetta against his doubters and a resume that none of the 11 other QB’s can match.