Carson Palmer: 8 Free-Agent Quarterbacks Who Could Replace Cincinnati Bengals QB

With Carson Palmer refusing to play another snap in Cincinnati, the Bengals must spend this offseason looking for another quarterback to lead their offense.

Unfortunately for the Bengals, there are not many options on the free-agent market, and there aren't any quarterbacks in the draft that are sure to be first-year starters.

The Bengals' hands appear to be tied by Palmer, and they will be forced to deal him out of town once the lockout ends.

At this point, the Bengals seem to be gutting their team and are entering a rebuilding phase, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

The Bengals may not be able to find their next franchise quarterback in free agency, but they may be able to find a stopgap that can groom a young quarterback such as Andy Dalton, Colin Kaepernick or Ryan Mallett, whom the Bengals may select in the second round of this year's draft.

Matt Faulconer is a Bleacher Report Featured Columnist for the NFL and the Washington Redskins. He has served as an intern for the site as well. He also contributes his writings on the North Carolina Tar Heels to the fan site TarHeelCoalition.com. He has had articles featured on partner sites such as Philly.com (The Philadelphia Inquirer).

You can reach Matt Faulconer by e-mail at [e-mail] or at twitter.com/MattFaulconer10 with any questions and concerns.

8. Marc Bulger

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ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 11: Marc Bulger #10 of the St. Louis Rams passes against the Minnesota Vikings at the Edward Jones Dome on October 11, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

Bulger had a long, successful career in St. Louis before injuries kicked in and the talent around him diminished.

He has a lot of experience as a starting quarterback in the NFL and would be the perfect fit to groom a young quarterback if the Bengals choose to go that direction in the draft.

Unfortunately for the Bengals, they would likely have to overpay Bulger by a lot if they wanted to bring him to Cincinnati.

At this point in Bulger's career, it is very unlikely that he would want to join a rebuilding team unless there was a major financial incentive.

He will likely be in high demand by teams such as Minnesota, Arizona, San Francisco and possibly Seattle as well. Those teams have more talent than the Bengals, and by joining an NFC West team, he would have the opportunity to face off against his former team twice.

7. Rex Grossman

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LANDOVER, MD - JANUARY 02: Quarterback Rex Grossman #8 of the Washington Redskins throws a pass in the fourth quarter of a game against the New York Giants at FedEx Field on January 2, 2011 in Landover, Maryland. The Giants won the game 17-14. (Photo by

Rex Grossman looked respectable in his few starts for Washington last season, but the chances of him leaving Kyle Shanahan are pretty slim.

He has experience as a starting quarterback in this league and has started a Super Bowl, albeit because of his team's defense.

Grossman will not come in and turn this team around by any stretch of the imagination, but his work ethic has seemed to improved since he departed Chicago.

He may have earned himself a chance to be a starter again in this league with his play down the stretch for Washington. In all likelihood, though, he will return to the Redskins, where he is comfortable in the Shanahan's system.

However, if the Bengals are again willing to shell out a little extra cash or a promise of a starting job, Rex may just make the jump to Cincinnati.

6. Matt Leinart

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GLENDALE, AZ - SEPTEMBER 02: Quarterback Matt Leinart #7 of the Arizona Cardinals watches from the sidelines during preseason NFL game against the Washington Redskins at the University of Phoenix Stadium on September 2, 2010 in Glendale, Arizona. The Car

Matt Leinart was a first-round talent coming out of Southern California. However, he didn't pan out in Arizona and was released when Derek Anderson beat him out for the starting job.

Leinart was criticized for refusing to throw downfield and settling for the checkdown too much.

The final straw for Leinart may have come before spring practices even got under way, as Kurt Warner didn't exactly give Leinart a ringing endorsement following Kurt's retirement.

Leinart is still relatively young, and he may just need a fresh start. Cincinnati may be the perfect fit, as both parties will be looking for a fresh start.

One positive for the Bengals is that there likely won't be many teams in the market for Leinart, and just offering Leinart the chance to compete for a starting job may be enough to land the former Heisman Trophy winner.

5. Trent Edwards

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JACKSONVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 18: Quarterback Trent Edwards #5 of the Jacksonville Jaguars throws a pass against the Tennessee Titans during the game at EverBank Field on October 18, 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)

Trent Edwards, like Matt Leinart, had high expectations at different points of his career. Edwards was selected in the third round of the 2007 draft and excelled early in his career after taking over for J.P. Losman.

At one point, Edwards was heralded as the NFL's "next great quarterback" by some around the league. Edwards was unable to become that player in Buffalo and spent the end of last season in Jacksonville, backing up David Garrard.

Edwards is still young and still has a lot of potential. If the Bengals think they can harness that talent, they should at the very least bring in Edwards to compete for a starting job.

While I'm sure the Bengals would like to get their hands on the current Stanford quarterback, their best bet may be to land a former Stanford quarterback.

4. Matt Moore

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CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 24: Matt Moore #3 of the Carolina Panthers against the San Francisco 49ers during their game at Bank of America Stadium on October 24, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

With Cam Newton hitting the top spot on mock drafts lately, Matt Moore will be looking for a new home when the lockout is lifted.

Moore had an up-and-down career in Carolina but certainly showed some flashes of brilliance. While he may never become an elite NFL quarterback, he may be just the guy the Bengals need to help right the ship.

Moore had a 98 quarterback rating in 2009 and completed over 60 percent of his passes that season. Those numbers might not be earth-shattering, but the Bengals are not going to find a Pro Bowl quarterback on the open market.

He has shown that he can be an efficient starter in this league at times and is certainly one of the better options for the Bengals.

3. Drew Stanton

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TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 19: Quarterback Drew Stanton #5 of the Detroit Lions throws a pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the game at Raymond James Stadium on December 19, 2010 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)

Drew Stanton is a five-year veteran that has not seen significant playing time during his career. He started four games last season and showed the potential the Lions saw when they drafted him in the second round.

He had a quarterback rating of 78 in those games and averaged less than one interception per game. Unfortunately, he only averaged one touchdown per game during that span as well.

One thing to take note of is that Stanton went 2-2 as a starting quarterback last year, and all four of those games were against winning teams (New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers).

Stanton may have the most upside of all of the quarterbacks on this list and could likely be brought in at a reasonable price to compete with one of the other quarterbacks on this list.

2. Vince Young

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MIAMI - NOVEMBER 14: Quarterback Vince Young #10 of the Tennessee Titans throws against the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium on November 14, 2010 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

Vince Young is not a free agent at this point, but it is common knowledge that he won't be returning to the Titans. Someone could pull the trigger on a trade for the former Texas Longhorn, but that also seems unlikely with his inflated contract.

Young will certainly be the most talented quarterback on the market, if and when he is released, but also comes with the most headaches.

However, the Bengals front office has gambled on players with character issues in the past, and they may go all-in on Young.

Young has proven he can win games in the NFL, and that is the only stat that really matters. There will certainly be teams that will be interested in him, but none that may gamble on him as much as the Bengals.

Don't expect many teams to offer Young anything more than a one- or two-year deal. If the Bengals believe they can rehabilitate Young, they may offer him a longer deal, which would likely bring him to Cincinnati.

1. Alex Smith

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SAN DIEGO, CA - DECEMBER 16: Quarterback Alex Smith #11 of the San Francisco 49ers jogs off the field after losing to the San Diego Chargers 34-7 at Qualcomm Stadium on December 16, 2010 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Alex Smith was one of the hardest players to predict over his last few seasons in San Francisco. He was great some games and awful the next game.

Smith's best chance to be successful may be under new coach Jim Harbaugh. Unfortunately for Smith, the 49ers have been rumored to be in the market for a new quarterback, as they have been linked to quarterbacks ranging from Harbaugh's former college protegee Josh Johnson to Missouri star Blaine Gabbert.

If San Francisco does bring in a new quarterback, it is certain that Smith will be looking for a new team. The Bengals will be one of the few teams that could provide him the opportunity to come in as the team's starting quarterback.

Alex Smith has been in the league for seven years and may be the safest option for the Bengals at this point.

He had an 82 quarterback rating last season and has thrown for nearly 10,000 yards in his career. He has both the experience as an NFL veteran, as well as the upside that teams are looking for in a free-agent quarterback. At only 26 years old, maybe Smith just needs a change of scenery to reach his full potential.

The Bengals need to revamp their quarterback depth chart, and they should start by signing Alex Smith. 

Instead of drafting a quarterback to groom this year, the Bengals should be patient and hand the reins over to Smith, while adding Drew Stanton to the roster as well.

As mentioned previously, Stanton still has some upside, as he has not played a lot and could end up being a steal. While there is no guarantee that Stanton or Smith's potential will come to life in Cincinnati, there is also no guarantee that Blaine Gabbert or Cam Newton will reach his potential. 

The Bengals should use their first-round pick on A.J. Green instead, who may be able to help Smith or Stanton reach his full potential.