NFL Trade Rumors: Could Carson Palmer Supplant Tarvaris Jackson for Seahawks?

While the Cincinnati Bengals are unlikely to move semi-retired quarterback Carson Palmer before the NFL's October 18 trade deadline, speculation has surfaced that the Seattle Seahawks might be interested in the 2002 Heisman Trophy winner.

In the unlikely event that Palmer lands in Seattle with his former college head coach Pete Carroll, it's hard to see a scenario where he wouldn't surpass Tarvaris Jackson and become the team's starting quarterback.

Palmer has reportedly been training and kept himself in game-shape, just in case Bengals owner/general manager Mike Brown does decide to move him. The 31-year-old has had a rough few seasons in Cincinnati behind a shaky offensive line, but we all know the kind of quarterback he can be with solid players around him.

For his career, the USC product has completed 2,024 of 3,217 passes (62.9 percent) for 22,694 yards, with 154 touchdowns and 100 interceptions. His career quarterback rating of 86.9 is far lower than his actual ability would lead you to believe, as he's been protected by a patchwork offensive line for the past few seasons and has been battling through injuries.

Palmer would likely fit right in to offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell's West Coast system, and one thing he would provide would be consistency. That is something Jackson sorely lacks.

Palmer would be entering his ninth year in the league. Even though injuries have worn down some aspects of his game, he can still make all the throws. He has a big arm and, when he doesn't have to force things, is incredibly accurate.

However, I'm not sure if Seattle would actually want to add Palmer. If they continue to fail with Jackson this year, the franchise would likely want to spend its first-round pick on a quarterback in April.

Even so, if the Seahawks could somehow convince the Bengals to part with Palmer, he would likely be starting for the team within a week or two.