Carson Palmer: Bengals Making Massive Mistake Not Trading Disgruntled QB

Carson Palmer's NFL career has been put on hold because of his unwillingness to play for the Bengals and Bengals' ownership is doing the franchise a disservice by not trying to trade the quarterback. The most puzzling thing about this whole situation is there has never been any definitive reason given by the team about why they won't move him.

Bengals' owner Mike Brown has given some vague and general answers when asked about Palmer, saying things such as he is not going to give into anyone's trade demands, even if the team could acquire valuable assets to build for the future.

Palmer made his first public appearance since retiring from the NFL on Saturday at USC's game against Syracuse, and despite speculation that he would return to the Bengals soon in order to force the team into dealing him, he remained committed to retirement as long as the team has him under contract.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that friends and family believe that Palmer will not play football this season as long as he is a member of the Bengals.

It is understandable why Palmer wants out of Cincinnati. It is a young, rebuilding team that will not be ready to contend for at least two years and he is a 31-year-old quarterback who is nearing the end of his prime years and has to win big while he still can.

What is not clear is what the Bengals stand to gain by not dealing Palmer. The team has drafted and is playing Andy Dalton, who they hope is going to be the quarterback of the future. They need help at other positions and Palmer is the most valuable trade chip that they have.

If the Bengals were to deal Palmer, they could get a second-round draft pick and a solid player in return. If they would have tried to shop him around in the offseason—when he could have learned his new team's playbook and played in all 16 games— then they might have been able to snag a first-round pick for him.

Instead, the Bengals are being the Bengals. Brown is more interested in trying to prove a point to Palmer and the rest of the world by saying that no one is going to hold him hostage just because they want out of Cincinnati.

But if that is the case then why did Brown trade Chad Ochocinco, another disruptive, unhappy player, to New England for two late round draft picks?

There is a lot about this whole situation that does not make sense and the fact that Brown is hurting his own franchise in the process makes this situation even more outlandish.

If this is just a matter of ego, Brown should put his aside. He is seen as a laughingstock by fans and analysts for the way that he has run this franchise into the ground.

If it is a matter of principle, Brown should be more concerned about doing what he has to do in order to put the best 53-man roster on the field every Sunday than trying to prove he is a strong man.

We may never know the real reason why Palmer has not been traded or put on the market for other teams to bid on for that matter.

What we do know is that Palmer is not going to play football this season as long as he is under contract to the Bengals and Mike Brown.