Carson Palmer to Cardinals: Oakland Raiders Reportedly Trade Star QB to Arizona

The Arizona Cardinals have reportedly brought veteran quarterback Carson Palmer into the fold for the 2013 season. 

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Cardinals and the Raiders have agreed to a trade that will send Palmer from Oakland to Arizona.

The Raiders traded Palmer shortly after they acquired Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Flynn via trade.

With Flynn now the man in Oakland, Palmer became expendable for the Raiders. The team would have owed the 33-year-old $13 million for this season. 

After the trade, the former USC Trojan restructured his deal to make his contract more cap friendly for the Cardinals, according to CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora:

While original speculation identified the San Francisco 49ers as a potential landing spot (h/t Mike Garafolo of USA Today), Palmer ultimately lands with a different NFC West club that has been searching for a solid starting quarterback since Kurt Warner departed.

He should have an opportunity to compete for the starting job, as he will join Drew Stanton, Ryan Lindley and Brian Hoyer as the Cardinals' options under center. Arizona waived quarterback John Skelton on April 1 (via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com).

The Cardinals already made a move to add Stanton to the roster earlier in the offseason when they signed the former Indianapolis Colt to a three-year deal. Stanton was the backup to Andrew Luck in Indianapolis last season, where current Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians served as the offensive coordinator. 

The addition of Palmer sets up an intriguing battle between Stanton and Palmer this preseason. 

Palmer started 15 games for the Raiders in 2012 and passed for 4,018 yards with 22 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. By comparison, the Cardinals quarterbacks combined for 3,383 passing yards with 11 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.

Palmer was the target of a lot of scrutiny during his time in Oakland. When the Raiders dealt a first-round pick and a conditional second-rounder to the Bengals for the quarterback in 2011, they were expecting a lot more than what they got.

However, the Raiders' loss could be the Cardinals' gain in this case.