NFL Trade Speculation: 6 Teams Who'd Love to Pry Carson Palmer Away from Cinci

Carson Palmer has not played for the Bengals all season.
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Carson Palmer's NFL career is far from over. While his Bengals career may be through, Palmer still has a lot to offer whatever NFL team comes after him. 

The former USC quarterback has not started an NFL game since January 2. After plenty of offseason drama, it looks like Palmer is destined for a move away from Cinci, but where he's going to land is still up in the air. 

The following is a list of teams that should start pursuing the Heisman Winning QB. 

Carson Palmer: Quarterback

Palmer has gone through a lot since being drafted by the Bengals.
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In order to identify the teams that should pursue Carson Palmer, we first have to establish what he brings to his team. 

What characteristics does the USC product give a team that are so valuable to teams that are going through quarterback trouble?

Well there are actually quite a few traits possessed by Palmer that a number of NFL teams would benefit from.  

So let's start with those.

Consistent Passing

Chad Ochocinco and Palmer formed quite a partnership in Cincinnati.
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Carson Palmer is a quarterback that offers consistent passing. When looking at his five full NFL seasons, the Bengals quarterback has thrown for at least 3,800 yards for four of them.

His best total came in 2007, when he racked up 4,131 yards. Now let's compare Palmer's average yards per season to the rest of NFL.

Palmer's career yards per season average is 3,813. Last year there were only seven NFL quarterbacks that eclipsed the 3,800 mark.

In 2009, 10 quarterbacks reached the milestone of 3,800. This proves that there, theoretically, should be be at least 22 teams looking to secure Palmer's services.  

Touchdowns

Carson Palmer will deliver touchdowns.
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Carson Palmer can deliver touchdowns. In the five seasons that we've been examining, Palmer has thrown for 133 touchdowns.

This averages out to 26.6 a season, which accrues to a decent record. 

In both 2009 and 2010, only eight quarterbacks threw for over 26 touchdowns. This means that there should be 24 teams in the hunt for Carson Palmer.  

Experience

Tavaris and Whitehurst...yeah they started.
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The most important thing that Carson Palmer brings to his NFL team is experience. Palmer has played in the NFL. He has five full seasons under his belt, which is invaluable.

On top of this, Palmer is going to be so fired up once he's out of Cincinnati, that his passion alone makes him worth considering.

So now that we've taken care of that, let's talk about the teams that should be fighting to bring in Carson Palmer.  

Minnesota Vikings

Donovan McNabb has not been up to par this season.
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It's sad to say, but Donovan McNabb's best days are behind him. The Vikings quarterback has not performed well this season.

McNabb's 1,026 passing yards put him at 26th in the league. His four touchdowns are even more dismal, and rank him at 29th. 

White it may be true that McNabb led a team to the Super Bowl, those days are behind the Syracuse alum. 

With a star running back like Adrian Peterson, the Vikings need a quarterback that can deliver top 10 numbers, and Palmer is that quarterback. 

Kansas City Chiefs

Matt Cassell is a good option, but Palmer is better.
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Matt Cassell is probably the best quarterback that shouldn't be starting. He is a decent quarterback, and he doesn't have much to work with, but if the Chiefs brought in Palmer, they'd be a different team. 

Cassell has thrown for a minuscule 945 yards so far this season. That puts him at 29th in the NFL. 

To his credit, he has thrown for eight touchdowns, which is the 13th most in the league, but Cassell was a bench player at USC. Palmer was a Heisman winning starter. 

With talented players in Dwayne Bowe and Jamaal Charles, the addition of Carson Palmer could turn the Chiefs into a winning franchise. 

Seattle Seahawks

This picture speaks for itself.
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The Seattle Seahawks have an absolute mess of a quarterback situation. Between Tavaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst, Pete Carroll has two quarterbacks that are top quality...third strings. 

To be honest, it's not worth your or my time to go into the statistics of these two knuckleheads. So let's just get to the part that matters.

Pete Carroll and Carson Palmer have some prior experience together. They won the Orange Bowl in Palmer's senior season. Pete Carroll now coaches in Seattle.

This one essentially explains itself. On to the next one.

Washington Redskins

This is the last person you want to see behind center for your team.
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How this man got to a Super Bowl, is something I feel I will never understand. Rex Grossman is not someone that you want to see at QB for your football team. 

Grossman has thrown for 1,132 yards on the season, which puts him at 24th best in the league. His six touchdowns put him at a tie with a number of other players for 21st best. 

There is, however, one category that Rex Grossman does lead the league in. No one in the NFL has thrown more interceptions than Rex Grossman. His nine picks tie him with Cam Newton for most in the league.

With a developing running core in Tim Hightower and Mike Tolbert, Carson Palmer would bring another dimension that would most certainly be welcomed in the nation's capital. 

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins could use a good passer.
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Chad Henne is not a good quarterback. Matt Moore...is also not a good quarterback. 

To be honest, I have no idea what the Dolphins are doing anymore. They brought in Reggie Bush as their primary running back, which makes very little sense. Bush is best when he's catching passes, not running from the line of scrimmage.

Tony Sparano is on borrowed time, and he needs to make something happen. Carson Palmer may be the answer to his problems. 

Palmer already has the USC connection with Bush, even though they didn't play together. This coupled with Brandon Marshall, a talented but struggling receiver, could give Palmer the power to bring back some glory to Miami.  

Jacksonville Jaguars

Blaine Gabbert is not starting material.
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Maurice Jones-Drew is the new Greg Jennings. In other words, he's put the team on his back. The UCLA running back has gotten no help from his quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

Gabbert has thrown for 717 yards. This puts him at 32nd in the NFL. He has four touchdowns on the year, and he has not looked like a good option. 

With such a talented running back in Maurice Jones-Drew, it's disappointing to see a lack of talent elsewhere in the offense. 

Marcedes Lewis has been a decent tight end, but the Jaguars need a new star to help propel their offense. Bringing in Palmer would take a lot of weight off of Jones-Drew, and it may help facilitate their offense.