What Will the Bengals Do With Carson Palmer?

The one thing Mike Brown and the Bengals cannot afford to do is not at least consider trading Carson Palmer. If Kevin Kolb is being considered worth possibly as much as a first and a second round pick, who only has 7 starts in his career, Palmer has to be worth at least a first round pick. The Bengals are clearly in a rebuilding mode and they could use as much fire power in the next few drafts to turn this team around, which was undefeated in the very tough AFC North just two years ago.

Palmer is one of the best players, if not the best player, on the Bengals roster and they simply cannot afford to just let him retire when he has value to this team either as a starter or in a trade. I understand that Mike Brown refuses to be bullied by his players, but he already proved that he alone makes the final decisions on trading players when he refused to move Chad Ochocinco a few years back. Brown should also learn from that experience since his stubbornness had a negative impact on his team. Ochocinco was a complete distraction for the rest of the team and even failed to be productive on the field. He is now more than likely going to be cut from the team before the start of the 2011 season. The Redskins were rumored to have been willing to give up not one, but two first round picks to get him just two years ago. If the Bengals had those extra two picks and not had to deal with Ochocinco’s off the field shenanigans, they could have been making a deep run into the playoffs instead of picking forth overall in the draft this year.

Not only should Brown learn from his prior mistake, but also when you are dealing with a franchise quarterback, all the rules are thrown out the window. With so many teams desperate for signal callers, Palmer’s trade value could never be higher. Once Kolb is dealt, Palmer is the only other free agent quarterback who can step in right away and man the position for at least 5 more years (Palmer is only 31 years old). Palmer’s play might have slipped a little the last few years, but I strongly believe a change of scenery and distancing himself from problematic receivers like Chad Ochocinco will motivate him to become a top 10-12 quarterback in this league again.

I look at the Carson Palmer situation a lot like the Kevin Kolb situation in Philly. Neither team should give up their quarterback unless they get at least a first round pick. Kolb is too valuable of a backup since Michael Vick has only started a full 16 games once in his entire career. It is unlikely that he will do that at the age of 31 and the Eagles need to have a decent backup who can win them games in his absence. Palmer is a valuable commodity and also should not be given up for anything less than a first round pick. Brown can continue to say that he will not trade Palmer, yet when someone offers up a first round pick and another lower round pick, he should jump all over the offer. They can then move on and dedicate themselves to Andy Dalton and their new young receiving corps. There is enough turn over and confusion in Cincinnati with an offense that is likely losing its franchise quarterback, its two starting receivers, and possibly its starting running back. They need to settle the Palmer situation sooner rather than later in order for this team to start rebuilding.

If they put Palmer on the trade block, there will be numerous suitors, possibly including the Cardinal, Redskins, 49ers, Titans, and Seahawks. The best trade partner for the Bengals seems to be the Cardinals. They are in a different conference and the Bengals will not have to worry about playing against Palmer more than once every 4 years. The Cardinals picked in the top 5 in the draft and their first round pick should be in the top half of the first round even with Palmer at quarterback.

If I was Ken Whisenhunt, the Cardinals head coach, I would throw a first round pick and another conditional pick at the Bengals in order to get Palmer away from them. I am still not sold on Kevin Kolb being a franchise quarterback and Palmer is by far the most decorated quarterback available this year. Not to mention he is about the same as Michael Vick, who is injury prone and despite this will likely receive a contract around $100 million in the next year or so. Palmer throwing to Larry Fitzgerald seems like the dream situation for both players and would absolutely insure that Fitzgerald does not leave in free agency. If Kolb is a bust or proves to be as injury prone as he has shown in the past, there’s a good chance Fitzgerald could walk out on the Cardinals in free agency in 2012. This would destroy that franchise and set them back years if they have to start over at quarterback and receiver. Even if Palmer never plays at as high of a level as he did in his early years in the NFL, his downside is significantly higher than Kolb’s downside. Kolb might never become a franchise quarterback, but Palmer should at least be an above average starter and stabilize the position for the Cardinals, insuring Fitzgerald will remain with the team.