Not too long ago, Carson Palmer said that he would be willing to walk away from football should the Cincinnati Bengals refuse to trade him; a request that team owner Mike Brown has previously denied. Palmer has once again made it clear of his wish to no longer be a part of the franchise.
He recently put his house up for sale, and rumours have it that Seattle is his preferred destination; where he would be re-united with Pete Carroll, his coach at USC. Palmer's agent also revealed that he (Palmer) has about $80 million saved up, and is prepared to live off that if need be. Talk about waaaay too much information. At least I know whom to hit up for a steak dinner.
In seven seasons as a starter, Palmer has the led the Bengals to two division titles. The Bengals never advanced past the Wild Card round in either game. Despite the addition of T.O., Cincinnati only managed a 4-12 record last season. Palmer was throwing picks left and right, while Chad Ochocinco and T.O were publicly questioning the coaching staff's ability to prepare for games.
Speculation was rife that both Palmer and head coach Marvin Lewis would be gone in the off-season. However as of now, both are scheduled to be back with team. Palmer is due something in the neighbourhood of $ 11 million next season, but he's willing to walk away from it. What does that tell us about the Bengals?
And should Palmer succeed in getting his release, does he still have what it takes to be a successful starter in the league? Who knows what would have happened had he not been severely injured during that Wild Card game against Pittsburgh back in 2006. He also had to miss majority of the 2008 season due to an injured elbow.
Obviously we have to see how these labour talks will play out. Unless he goes to Seattle, I really doubt that he'll be starting for a team come opening day of next season. That won't bother him at all; just as long as he's not in Cincinnati.
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