NFL 2011 Cincinnati Bengals: Lockout Over, What About Carson Palmer's Career?

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The longest work stoppage in NFL history is over, and it's time once again to play some football. The next few days are sure to be exciting for both the players and fans. But it won’t be exciting for all players, especially Carson Palmer.

Palmer has stood his ground in demanding a trade out of Cincinnati, or else he will retire. Mike Brown, the Bengals general manager, has made his own stand on the issue, saying he will not trade his disgruntled franchise quarterback. The lockout is over, and so is Palmer’s playing career.

With the way, it has been going so far, you can guarantee that Mike Brown is serious when he says he refuses to trade his franchise quarterback Carson Palmer.

It’s a shame because Palmer is a guy that I always rooted for, wanted badly to see him succeed and do it in Cincinnati.

But it isn’t always happy endings, and Palmer’s career is going to end.

No Trade Value

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It was only a couple months ago that many teams would be interested in working out a deal to acquire Carson Palmer from the Bengals.

Now, that is not the case. The lockout and Mike Brown’s refusal to change his stance on Palmer has hurt the quarterback’s chances of finding a new team.

The free agent and trading period is going to be over right as it starts. Teams have other options at quarterback besides Palmer, and they will be picked up and signed, leaving Palmer and the Bengals without any suitors.

Mike Brown Will Not Budge

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The Cincinnati Bengals is a proud franchise and does not bend or break for any player. They do make some interesting choices and decisions, but once they make those choices and decisions, the Bengals stick with them.

Out With The Old And In With The New

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It is time for a new era in Cincinnati.

It’s not like the quarterback position is the only one that could change for the Bengals. They drafted a new franchise wide receiver A.J. Green and already have a potential Pro Bowl tight end in Jermaine Gresham.

Cincinnati already has some good young talent awaiting the arrival of this new era. In 2010, Jordan Shipley emerged for the Bengals, showcasing his solid route running ability. Also, Andre Caldwell and Jerome Campbell showed promise at becoming consistent contributors to the team.

These players, along with veteran running back Cedric Benson, are the perfect opportunity to put the ball in the hands of rookie quarterback Andy Dalton.

Andy Dalton

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Andy Dalton is coming into one of the best situations among this year’s quarterbacks drafted expected to compete for the starting job in their rookie season.

The Bengals have surrounded him plenty of talent and a workhorse running back. Thus, it is not a one man show for Dalton in Cincinnati, having the pieces around him to bring early success and a possible playoff berth.

Dalton certainly showed throughout his career that he knows how to win finishing with a 42-7 record and ending his career with a Rose Bowl victory.

He also is said to be someone of exceptional character and real professionalism, a hard worker, spend time studying and just play and play hard

The System

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With new players comes a new system, one which suits Andy Dalton. Jay Gruden’s west coast offense wants to take full advantage of the YAC (Yards-After-Catch).

Coming from the spread offense in college, Gruden’s style of passing offense is just what Dalton needs. He is best at putting the ball in his receiver’s hands on short routes. Both ball placement and accuracy are Dalton’s best attributes. He can throw the deep ball, but that is something that will come later as he develops into an NFL quarterback.

Carson Palmer

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Carson Palmer is a good enough player to get a good deal for the Cincinnati Bengals. He isn’t past his prime and he had a good season last year despite finishing 4-12.

He threw for 26 touchdowns and was just 30 yards shy of reaching 4,000. He passed the 20,000 career passing yards milestone and has thrown 154 career touchdowns, pretty solid numbers for a guy who has had to deal with some unlucky bounces during his career.

Palmer has never been an issue off the field, and up until this year, never caused issues on the field. In demanding this trade, he isn’t causing on the field issues because they are not playing right now. He played all 16 games last year never once throwing in the towel. He has given everything he has and knows after nine years, time is not on his side.

In spite of this, it just won’t work out for Palmer. He is not going to be traded like he wants, and retirement is what is next for Palmer’s future.