Carson Palmer: Were the Cincinnati Bengals Right To Not Trade Him?

Carson Palmer was very clear last March what he wanted and what he would do if he didn't get it.

“I have $80 million in the bank. I don’t have to play football for money. I’ll play it for the love of the game, but that would have to be elsewhere. I’m prepared to live my life.”

Bold. Risky. Confident. Jerk move? 

Yes and no. 

The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Palmer with the first overall pick in the 2003 NFL draft, so that he could be the face that their franchise needed. The Bengals are not one of football's most successful franchises, and in the seasons before drafting Palmer, they were simply miserable. Palmer was to be their star. 

All opinions aside, Palmer delivered on this expectation. From 2004-2007, Palmer was one of the game's best and most exciting quarterbacks. He threw for over 4,000 yards in 2006 and 2007, and in 2005, his passer rating was an amazing 101.1. The Bengals were all of the sudden a relevant team in football, yet there was one problem: They only made the playoffs once in that stretch, and lost. 

After an injury-filled season in 2008, Palmer made an amazing recovery in 2009 and led the Bengals to a first place finish in the AFC North. Still, he didn't seem to be the quarterback he was before his elbow injury. The Bengals once again choked in the playoffs, and the 2010 season was a disaster for Palmer and the team as a whole.

And just as it began, unceremoniously, the career of Carson Palmer is over. The Bengals refused to trade the man who "didn't live up to his promise." He'll go down as a solid player, but will always be remembered as someone who "could have been great."

So back to the original question, was it a jerk move by Palmer to flash his cash and threaten retirement? Absolutely. He gave up on his team and basically said they were beyond the point of repair. No player, especially a franchise quarterback, should ever do that. 

Now onto a new question: Was he right to be fed up with the Bengals?

To this I also answer a resounding yes. The Bengals are a stubborn organization who have proven over time that they are very hesitant to make big changes. Their offensive line, one of the worst in the league, has been in shambles for seasons. They have drafted only one lineman, Andre Smith, with a high draft pick in the last five seasons. 

One of the reasons Palmer got so fed up was certainly due to his lack of protection, yet the Bengals argued that they surrounded him with a ton of new toys to throw to, like tight end Jermaine Gresham, who they drafted with the first overall pick, for some reason, in 2010. News flash: If a quarterback can't throw without getting sacked, it doesn't matter who the receiver is. 

In conclusion, the Bengals should have traded Palmer. Sure he bailed on them and his commitment to play. But not trading a talented player with value, just because of pride, shows that the Bengals care no more about their organization than Palmer. They've given up on themselves, so who can be surprised that Palmer had too. 

I could call Carson an a***ole or something worse, but he's not reading this; he's out surfing. Who wins now?