By now everyone is likely aware of Carson Palmer‘s trade request but in case you’re not, he’s pretty serious about the idea. The good news for the Bengals fans who think that Palmer is still an effective quarterback is that the impending lockout could end up giving Palmer and the team enough time to let things settle down a bit before they begin discussing where they stand in the matter.
As Peter King points out, the addition of new offensive coordinator Jay Gruden and the likelihood that both Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens are gone come next year could all be contributing factors towards keeping Palmer. The Bengals didn’t look bad at the end of the season when they wound up playing some of their younger receivers more.
But there’s another way that you could look at this situation. Instead of begging Carson Palmer to stay, the Bengals could instead start shopping Palmer once there is a new CBA agreement is in place. The market value for Palmer could end up being even higher than it currently is. With so many teams who are in need of a solid quarterback and very few quality options available via free agency, there’s a good chance that Cincinnati could end up with some draft picks and plenty cap space in return for Palmer.
I feel as though Palmer still has something left in the tank but I can’t say that he’s worth the remaining $5o million that Bengals are hoping that they can pay him.
Cincinnati is another team, much like the Dolphins, that has to take a step back and ask whether retaining a player like Palmer is going to get them to the Super Bowl in the next few years. Sometimes the best idea is to build a better foundation instead of patching holes in hopes that you can compete for another two years.
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