Carson Palmer Trade: Did Raiders Ruin Their Future for This Season?

The Cincinnati Bengals have traded quarterback Carson Palmer to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for a first-round pick in 2012 and a conditional pick, which could also be a first-rounder, in 2013. The Raiders clearly have confidence in their playoff hopes, but did they mortgage their future in the process?

It's important to remember that Palmer is under contract through 2014, so the Raiders didn't trade picks for a rental. And he's just 31 years old, so he should have no trouble fulfilling his contract if he can stay healthy.

Oakland's offensive core is young. Darren McFadden, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Jacoby Ford and Louis Murphy are all 24, so the Raiders probably wouldn't have been spending too many picks on those positions anyway.

It's a different story on defense. The Raiders are allowing nearly 400 yards per game and lack playmakers on that side of the ball. It would have been nice to spend a few early picks on that side of the ball, but now they won't have that luxury.

That said, the Buffalo Bills have proven you can plug in defensive free agents like Nick Barnett and still make enough plays to win football games. If Palmer helps the offense as much as Oakland apparently believe he will, the defense won't have to be dominant.

It will take Palmer a few weeks to get back into a groove, so don't rush to judgment on this trade. Oakland's goal is the playoffs and if they fail to attain a spot in the postseason, then it will be time to second guess the move. Not after one or two weeks.

Palmer threw for almost 4,000 yards and 26 touchdowns last season in Cincinnati. With Darren McFadden running the ball at such a high rate, the USC product will be able to ease his way into the offense and won't be asked to make a ton of plays.

The bottom line is that the Raiders have a young roster, so it's impossible to say a single trade will ruin their future. The package they sent to Cincinnati was certainty hefty, but they felt getting a quarterback was more important than (what they hope to be) a mid-to-late first rounder.

As with all trades, only time will tell which side won out because today both sides are happy.