In the latest example that the quarterback always gets the girl, the syndicated Extra entertainment news magazine will report tonight that NFL New York Giants backup quarterback Jesse Palmer will be the star of ABC's fifth edition of The Bachelor.

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In addition to becoming the first Bachelor to have a professional sports background, Palmer will also be the first non-American to be cast in the program's lead role. Born October 15, 1978 in Toronto, Palmer grew up in the Canadian province of Ontario before attending college in the States.

"To have an NFL quarterback as a Bachelor is a real coup," stated Mike Fleiss, executive producer of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette in an ABC press release that was released this evening. "If you lined up all the greatest bachelors who have ever applied to be on the show, Jesse would definitely be our number one draft pick."

Palmer was drafted by the Giants in the fourth round of the 2001 draft out of the University of Florida. After riding the bench behind starter Kerry Collins for most of the past three years, Palmer started the Giants last three games of the 2003 season (all losses) when Collins was injured.

Listed in the Giants' media guide as 6-foot-2 and 219 pounds, Palmer will become a free agent this offseason and with new Giants head coach Tom Coughlin taking over after the team's horrendous 4-12 season, his future with the Giants, or perhaps the NFL itself, is very much uncertain.

One thing that is certain is that football definitely runs in the family, as Palmer's father, Bill was a former Canadian Football League star with the Ottawa Rough Riders and his younger brother Billy is a back up tight end at Notre Dame.

The fifth edition of The Bachelor will premiere in April.