As the speculation bounces on a daily basis about what the Cardinals will do at quarterback, the big reason it's a question -- Carson Palmer's retirement -- got an official designation Monday when the team placed him on the reserved/retired list. It's a formality, really, since Palmer is the type that wouldn't have made such a decision unless he knew for sure. Still, it's prudent to leave a retired player on a reserve list rather than just cut him loose. (It's been popular for some to speculate that Palmer could be talked out of retirement, but that's not going to happen.)

In terms of the QB search, there is so much time before anything can truly happen. The new league year -- meaning free agency and trades -- isn't until March 14, so more than a month away. As Kansas City and Washington showed, talks can be ongoing and deals can be figured out between teams, but nothing can be finalized. There is a lot of chatter about Nick Foles and whether the Eagles could deal him, but I keep wondering about the health of Carson Wentz and the risk of not having a good backup in place.

Chances are good that the next five weeks or so are going to be filled with guesswork about a quarterback with no way to really know the answer. That doesn't even include the draft speculation, and the draft isn't until April 26. That'll be a little different -- because the Cardinals have a new coach, the players and coaches are back to work April 2 and the conversation can be a little more than speculative at that point. Until then, though, what's filling the void is mostly wondering aloud.