Carson Palmer: Will Overrated QB Quit on Oakland Raiders?

We all knew Carson Palmer had quit on the Cincinnati Bengals.  He flat-out refused to play for them this season and threatened his own retirement.

Well, six weeks into the season it seems like a happy ending.  The Bengals succumb to Palmer's wishes and trade him to a team that wants and needs him, the Oakland Raiders.  The Bengals receive more than ample compensation for Palmer's services in the form of very valuable high draft picks.

After the trade, though, Palmer's former coach Marvin Lewis spoke to Yahoo! Sports and begs the question,

"

At what point did Carson quit?

At some point last year he decided he didn’t want to be here. This didn’t happen at the end of the season. There was a point earlier on when he said, "This isn’t the place for me."

"

Another unnamed Bengals official said, "We got rid of all our [expletive]."

It really leads you to believe Palmer had dogged it during the season once he made up his mind that he no longer wanted to play in Cincinnati.  Is that really the guy you want leading your team in Oakland?  Is that guy worth that first-round draft choice and possibly another?

Let's face it, Oakland has had a good start, but Palmer won't be in a win-every-week situation.  The Raiders are 4-3, they were 8-8 last year and I believe they are on the rise. 

It won't necessarily be easy, though, because it never is in the NFL.   Can Oakland's brass trust Palmer after the revealing excerpts coming out of Cincinnati following the trade?

I am not going to judge the trade's winner or loser after one terrible outing that Palmer certainly wasn't ready for.  The issue now is the Raiders have a known quitter leading them.  The Bengals openly grouped Palmer with Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens as a guy they actually feel they are better without. 

If dumping Palmer is addition by subtraction for the Bengals, how valuable will he be to a building Oakland team that needs a leader with heart?  Palmer's true colors were exposed by Lewis and the Bengals front office.  When the going gets tough and the Raiders fail to make the playoffs Palmer will be begging to get out just like he did in Cincinnati.

He is a highly paid professional athlete who plays a position that puts the rest of the team's livelihood on his back.  He gave up on his last team and created an image that will be hard to clean up.

Good luck, Oakland, Palmer is in your hands now.