NFL Trade Deadline: Seattle Seahawks Among Teams That Need Carson Palmer

Despite the fact that no trades are currently being discussed for disgruntled Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, he is one of the main names being bandied about ahead of Tuesday's NFL trade deadline.

From the Bengals' perspective, it makes absolutely no sense to sit on an asset that is both aging and losing value with each passing day. Palmer can certainly still start in this league, and there are always teams on the hunt for a quality signal-caller.

If Bengals owner Mike Brown softened his stance and sought out trades, I don't think he would have any trouble finding some suitors and getting a third- or fourth-round pick out of the deal. The value isn't ideal obviously, but a lot of that is Brown's own doing.

Here are three teams that need the services of Palmer and would likely be willing to give the Bengals the most in a deadline deal.

San Francisco 49ers

At 4-1 and in first place in the NFC West, I don't actually believe that the San Francisco 49ers will make a play for Palmer, but I think not considering it is an oversight on their part.

Alex Smith has been surprisingly adequate under center to this point, but how long can that actually last?

Smith has proven himself to be little more than a mediocre quarterback in the past, and while he competes in by far the easiest division in football, I think a collapse is inevitable. Because of that, it would be nice to have a reliable option behind him.

Rookie Colin Kaepernick is the current backup, but he seems to be far from NFL-ready. Smith is also a free agent at season's end, so trading for Palmer would give San Francisco a viable starter moving forward.

Again, though, I don't think the Niners are forward-thinking enough to pull the trigger.

Miami Dolphins

Not only is starting quarterback Chad Henne out for the season, but the Miami Dolphins don't have a long-term option at the position.

Matt Moore will fill in for the time being, but the Carolina Panthers didn't think enough of him to keep him as the starter when they had few other viable candidates.

Henne also seems to be on the outs, so I assume that the Dolphins will have a new quarterback through some means next season. At 0-4, they are definitely contenders to get the No. 1 pick and grab Andrew Luck, but I honestly feel like the Dolphins have a bit too much talent to be the league's worst team.

Because of that, Palmer would be an excellent fit. Not only would he be able to eventually take over the starting reins this season, but he would also be capable of starting for the Dolphins for the next couple years while they search for their quarterback of the future.

This seems like a perfect marriage to me.

Seattle Seahawks

Without question, no team makes more sense as far as a destination for Palmer than the Seattle Seahawks. First and foremost, the Seahawks have a very unsettled situation at quarterback with Tarvaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst. 

The organization can say how talented those two players are until they're blue in the face, but nobody is buying it.

Also, Palmer's college coach at USC Pete Carroll is the Seattle head man, so there is plenty of familiarity there both in terms of the offense and the way Carroll likes to run things.

The Seahawks are definitely in contention for the NFC West, as they won the division crown last season and are two games out in the lowly division this year.

Palmer would be an immediate upgrade and likely wouldn't need a significant amount of time to learn the playbook. The Seahawks aren't bad enough to get Andrew Luck, either, so an answer at quarterback is needed, and Palmer could be that answer.