Carson Palmer Needs to End 'Retirement' and Get Back to Work; Rejoin Bengals

If there's one thing we know about Carson Palmer's situation in Cincinnati with the Bengals, it is that Mike Brown won't be giving in to his demands any time soon. The only way this standoff comes to a conclusion that benefits both sides is if Palmer returns to play for the Bengals.

Palmer is still a quality quarterback, but he won't get to show that off if he sticks to his retirement plan. His chances of being traded and playing for another franchise will only go up if he returns and features for the Bengals for this season at least.

Who knows? He may return to find that the Bengals' offense is in better shape than he left it. In fact, I believe it is.

Last season, there was a lot of hype surrounding Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco's combination in Cincinnati, but with those two receivers on the outside, Jordan Shipley in the slot, Jermaine Gresham at tight end and Cedric Benson in the backfield, the offense as a whole lacked explosion.

This year, the Bengals offense could be quite effective with solid quarterback play.

Unlike most, I don't blame Palmer for all of the Bengals' offensive problems last season, as the offense was easy to key-in on for opposing secondaries. Without a legitimate deep threat, the windows for Palmer to throw through and the reaction time of defensive backs was minimal.

This year, defenses must take a step back and respect the speed and athleticism of AJ Green and Jerome Simpson. With those two threatening deep and Jordan Shipley working the underneath with Jermaine Gresham being a potential red-zone threat, the Bengals offense has all the tools to show off a good quarterback.

Andy Dalton is not that quarterback just yet, but Carson Palmer could be.

Palmer's offensive line remains in tact from last season led by Andrew Whitworth, who is the most underrated left tackle in the league. He could return to the Bengals for one or even two seasons before finding a new home when the team looks to turn the reigns over to former TCU star Dalton.

Palmer wanted out of Cincinnati and still does; however, the Bengals offense around him has lost the egos and replaced them with more talent. He may not like the management or coaching staff, but it would be a shame if he completely gave up on football rather than just endure one or two more seasons before being able to choose his new home.

He is locked down to a huge contract that culminates in $14 million in 2014. It is doubtful that he will really be willing to let all that money go despite how rich he is as well as giving up what we must presume is his dream job.

Palmer will ultimately pull a Tiki in my mind and return to the NFL after completing his retirement, or whatever it is, for this season. In a sense, the only thing Palmer proves by holding out into the season is that Mike Brown is stubborn.

Everyone knows that Mike Brown is stubborn. If Palmer continues this, then he is showing us that he is also stubborn.

I have pity for him; he has been in a horrible situation with a franchise that is so horribly run that you pity its fans even if you support a rival team. However, this is not going to do anything but end his career or cost him a season or two of football.

Palmer has to return to the Bengals in some form. It may as well be right now when he can succeed on the field rather than next year when he will just be delaying the end of his deal until 2015.