NFL Trade Deadline: Will Carson Palmer Finish His Career with Oakland Raiders?

When Carson Palmer was finally traded by the Cincinnati Bengals before Tuesday's NFL trade deadline, I immediately began to ponder his future.

The No. 1 pick from the 2003 NFL draft was dealt to the Oakland Raiders and there are several reasons to believe that this will be the final stop on his career path.

Palmer will turn 32 at the end of December and while he is certainly not old, he is more than likely past his prime years. His current contract—which he has promised to re-work to save Oakland cap space—runs through 2014, which means he will be 35 by the next time he is eligible for free agency. 

If the Palmer experiment in Oakland is a success this season, the Raiders will probably decide to extend the years on his contract as part of any re-worked deal. If the USC product flops with the Raiders, it is unlikely that another team would invest in him.

At this point for Palmer, it looks like it will be Oakland or nothing.

That is probably perfectly fine with the 2002 Heisman Trophy winner. Palmer spent seven seasons as the starting quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, and suffered through some seriously lean years. While he deserves credit for some of the success the Bengals had while he was under center, it's really hard to blame him for any of the team's failures.

For years, Palmer suffered with a shaky offensive line and minimal offensive talent around him. Yet he almost never complained. He was extremely loyal to the franchise until this past offseason, when it became apparent that he couldn't take it anymore. 

Palmer knows the Raiders went out on a limb to pry him away from Mike Brown and the Bengals, and he is sure to be fiercely loyal to the franchise for giving him a second chance in the NFL. Don't be surprised if the kid who grew up in southern California finishes his career in Oakland.