NFL Trade Deadline: Cincinnati Bengals Need to Deal Carson Palmer to Raiders

The Oakland Raiders have been a pleasant surprise through six weeks this season. They are 4-2 and just a half-game behind the San Diego Chargers in the AFC West, but with Jason Campbell suffering a broken collarbone against Cleveland, the team has a huge hole at quarterback. 

There is a good quarterback sitting on his couch right now named Carson Palmer who would be a perfect fit for the Raiders this season. The only problem is the Cincinnati Bengals hold his rights and have shown little interest in trading him. 

Bengals owner/president Mike Brown has made it clear that he doesn't want to trade Palmer because if he does, it sends a bad message to other players around the league that they can manipulate things the way they want to. 

That sounds more like a bitter man just trying to prove how big his ego is, and considering how the Bengals have played this season without Palmer, why not try to maximize his value to improve the team that is on the field?

However, that is not stopping the Raiders from doing everything in their power to pry Palmer away from the stranglehold of Brown and the Bengals. 

According to Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports, the Raiders have been in contact with the Bengals about a deal for the retired quarterback, but a deal does not appear likely. 

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"...Brown might not be willing to trade Palmer to a team that he perceives as a potential playoff competitor. As the first source alluded to Sunday night after Campbell got hurt, you can point a gun at Brown’s head and he won’t flinch."

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In spite of the fact that the Bengals are, at least right now, playoff contenders, it is in the best interest of the franchise long-term if they move Palmer for at least one draft pick. 

Brown does not often do what is in the best interest of the franchise; he is more interested in feeding his own ego. But when his team has a chance to improve by getting rid of a player who isn't going to be on the team anyway, why not do it?

The Raiders are doing their due diligence by pursuing the best starting quarterback available, but it is going to take a miracle for Brown to make a deal. 

That is too bad, because this is a rare instance when a trade would be smart and beneficial to both teams this season and in the future.