Carson Palmer: Mike Brown Needs To Grant His QB's Trade Request From Bengals

On Sunday afternoon, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer requested a trade from the Bengals front office, and was prepared to retire if his demand was not met.

Monday, Bengals president Mike Brown told reporters in Mobile, Alabama, the site of the Under Armour Senior Bowl, that he had no such interest in letting go of his franchise quarterback just yet.

Brown confirmed that he met with Palmer earlier this week and denied his trade request.

"He's key to our plans. He's central to us. He was told that. We count on him going forward. He was told we were in no position to trade him," Brown said. "It would not be something we would consider doing...we are not looking for offers."

Brown went on to call Palmer's bluff, saying retirement would be "impractical." In most circumstances, yes—a quarterback who just turned 31, considered to be the face of a franchise playing the retirement card would be impractical. But before we assume that Palmer is crying wolf, maybe we should take into consideration just how fed up with the Bengals organization he really is.

Finally, we heard from a member of Palmer's camp: his agent, David Dunn. Dunn released this statement in regard to Palmer's trade request on Monday:

"Carson met with Bengals owner Mike Brown recently. They both expressed profound disappointment in how the team fared last season, and in how it has generally performed during Carson's tenure with the team.

"Because of the lack of success that Carson and the Bengals have experienced together, Carson strongly feels that a separation between him and the Bengals would be in the best interest of both parties. Carson could not respect the Brown family any more than he does or be more appreciative of what the Browns have done for him and his wife Shaelyn and his family."

We have yet to hear from Palmer himself because he and his wife, Shaelynn, are awaiting the birth of their third child at any moment. 

However, any Bengals fan or member of the Cincinnati media will tell you that the actions Palmer has taken are very un-Palmer-like. 

Palmer is generally soft-spoken and very reserved. He may express his hatred toward Ohio State every now and then, but he answers the media's questions when he is required to, is very polite and says nothing that isn't in the manual of things that your typical franchise quarterback should say.

So when Palmer of all people throws down a trade-me-or-else gauntlet, just how bad are things getting in Cincinnati? What does it say about the franchise when The Franchise would rather retire than play one more season in stripes?

As of this moment, both sides have been polite, but firm. However, this is the best the situation will ever be. It will only speed downhill from here and things will continue to get uglier.

There is one, and only one, solution to this stand-still: Mike Brown needs to trade Carson Palmer.

It is widely known that Mike Brown marches to the beat of his drum. However, if I were Brown (and that's a big "if"), I wouldn't take Palmer's threat lightly. I would take this retirement talk seriously. I would take into consideration the majority of seven seasons that Palmer has served under Brown as starting quarterback and allow him to walk away.

Carson Palmer no longer wants to play football for the Cincinnati Bengals. He has more than enough money to sit out for a long time. A very long time. Sources close to Palmer relay that Palmer has said he is financially secure for the rest of his life.

If the NFL and NFL Players Association fail to reach a new collective bargaining agreement and there is work stoppage, the advantage goes to Palmer. The Bengals will be forced to draft, trade for or sign his replacement via free agency, or promote his brother Jordan Palmer or third-string quarterback Dan LeFevour to the starting position. 

This is different than wide receiver Chad Ochocinco demanding a trade and attempting to force his way out of town nearly three years ago. Palmer has never publicly lobbied for anything. He does his lobbying behind the scenes. Nearly every decision he has made to this point in his career has been for the good of the franchise and the betterment of the team. 

Other than his agent's vague statement, no one knows exactly what has pushed Palmer to the edge. Perhaps, like many fans in Cincinnati, he's not impressed with the amount of "change" that many expected to see in the franchise this offseason.

Maybe he had an opinion on the Bengals flirting with former Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress. Bob Bratkowski is the only offensive coordinator Palmer has known since joining the NFL in 2003. That could be why Brown shot down the possibility of bringing Childress on board to serve as offensive coordinator on Monday; a last-ditch effort to appease Palmer.

One thing is clear, however. Palmer's attempt to get out of town is a perfect example of Bengals ownership getting what it had coming. Since Mike Brown took the reigns in Cincinnati, the team has "gotten by" with doing the bare minimum to pack the stadium full of fans.

The Bengals have been the butt of national jokes for years. Finally, their appetite for mediocrity caught up with them; now it has gotten to the players. In this case, the franchise quarterback.

It's time to grant Palmer his wish. When the face of your franchise demonstrates his displeasure with the organization and comes out swinging publicly, you shouldn't keep him against his will.

The Bengals should try doing things the right way this time around. They'll have the perfect opportunity to start fresh this year...with a new franchise quarterback.