Carson Palmer announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday. He's had a long, solid NFL career that saw some fairly high moments and impressive performances.

Why does that matter for Redskins fans?

It means the Arizona quarterback job is now open for business, and it could be a potential landing spot for Kirk Cousins.

Remember, Cousins is not under contract for 2018, and the Redskins don't have a lot of good options to keep him.

A third-straight franchise tag for Cousins would be prohibitively expensive at $34 million, and a transition tag would cost $29 million.

Maybe the Redskins can get a long-term deal worked out with Cousins, but there's little reason to expect that to happen at this point.

Back to Arizona.

With Palmer off the books, along with his $20.6 million cap figure, the Cardinals should be at least $35 million under the salary cap once free agency opens.

MORE REDSKINS: GRUDEN HONEST ABOUT COUSINS

Beyond Palmer, the Cardinals also lost their head coach in Bruce Arians, who also announced his retirement. Arians has arguably been the best coach of the Cardinals in the last 20 years. On top of that, veteran wideout Larry Fitzgerald has talked about possible retirement.

Arizona went 8-8 in 2017, but without Arians and Palmer and possibly Fitzgerald, it's hard to know what the team will look like in 2018.

There is some good news. Running back David Johnson should be back healthy by training camp. Despite missing almost all of 2017, he's still one of the best players with the ball in his hands in the entire NFL, and that could be a big draw.

Defensively, the Cards have some serious talent. Patrick Peterson and Chandler Jones might be the best in the league at their positions.

Would Cousins want to go to Arizona? There are tools on the field, but without a coach in place, it's hard to know.

Playing in the NFC West also presents a challenge. The Rams look like a strong team built for the future, Pete Carroll is staying in Seattle and committed to getting his Seahawks back to the playoffs, and Jimmy Garoppolo ended the season with five straight wins for San Francisco.

The NFC East is always tough, but the NFC West looks like it could be tough for some time.

Cousins will have plenty of options. Arizona might well become one of them, but until there's a coach in place, it's too tough to know the next step.