UPDATE: The trade is done. According to Glazer, the Raiders gave up a first-rounder in 2012 and a future second-rounder that could turn into a first base on Palmer’s play. It’s official: Oakland does not consider the NFL Draft to be an important tool for building a team.
Al Davis may be gone, but that hasn’t stopped the Raiders from exploring trades that will make you scratch your head. With an upcoming game against the Chiefs, Oakland has a legitimate shot at entering the bye week with a record of 5-2 and in obvious playoff contention. Jason Campbell is reportedly going to miss up to six weeks with a shoulder injury, meaning the Raiders need a quarterback. Does that make Carson Palmer worth a first-round pick?
According to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, the Raiders and Bengals are close to working out a trade that would send Palmer to the west coast for a 2012 first-rounder and a conditional pick. Bengals owner Mike Brown had previously refused to give in by trading the disgruntled quarterback, but who wouldn’t make this deal?
If the deal does indeed come to fruition, this is a complete panic move by the Raiders. Could Palmer help them this season and give them a decent shot at making the playoffs? If he is the Palmer of old, yes. However, Carson has been spending his free time tailgating at USC this season and has not been particularly effective since 2007. He has no intention of ever playing for Cincinnati again, so I don’t know how the Raiders got themselves into a situation where they have to give up a first-round pick knowing that is the case. A first-round pick can turn into a franchise-altering player. Even if he has something left in the tank, Palmer does not make the Raiders Super Bowl contenders this season or in the future.
