Bengals Haven't Even Approached Carson Palmer About Taking A Pay-Cut

During Sunday's 19-17 win over the Cleveland Browns, Carson Palmer failed to throw a touchdown pass in a game for the first time since Cincinnati's September 19 win over the Baltimore Ravens. If you dig charts, graphs and Geico commercials, you can make the uneasy, though completely oversimplified conclusion, that when Carson Palmer doesn't throw a touchdown pass, the Cincinnati Bengals are an undefeated 2-0. Since we're on over-simplified trends, know that when the Bengals play on the 19th day of any month, the Bengals have won two straight. Palmer also only completed three of eight third down passes for 37 yards passing. The Palmer-is-Satan-and-Andrew-Luck-Is-Jesus crowd starts chanting with their pitchforks and southern drawl, stringing up other Bengals fans for disagreeing with an assessment that's all too obviously clear.

Alternatively, the three passes Palmer did complete on third down, extended drives that eventually scored 13 points. It was also only the fifth time this year that Palmer didn't throw an interception. As we said Sunday, the Bengals passing offense didn't win the game on Sunday. But it didn't lose the game either; a perfect balance of what's expected out of this ariel assault. It's clear. In seven of the Bengals previous ten games, Palmer has been sacked at least three times. The offensive line kept Palmer's jersey clean against the Browns, and he had time to look at receivers not named Terrell Owens.

Some will use Sunday's game as an example that Palmer still has it and he's still a winning quarterback. Others will say that one win with 209 yards passing, a 60.9% completion rate and no touchdowns hardly removes mounting evidence that Palmer's Cincinnati career should come to an end. Personally, I'm thrilled that the Bengals won, but I'm still in the latter bandwagon, riding my horsy of disenfranchised fan watching our franchise quarterback slowly checking out of the city that we so very much love.

Either way, it's up in the air as to what will happen with Palmer next season. I mean, completely. If Palmer stays, the Bengals won't use their top-five pick to draft a quarterback. There's no scenario that we can see with Mike Brown paying Palmer $11.5 million in 2011 and a rookie quarterback upwards to $50 million in guaranteed money, all in the same year. The happy storybook ending has Palmer mentoring a young up-and-coming quarterback for the rigors of being a starting quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals. The reality is, it's either Palmer's salary or a rookie's salary, provided that rookie is drafted in the top-five. The team would more likely sign Donovan McNabb, get rid of Palmer and have McNabb groom a rookie quarterback. Even then, questions are abound at the quality of teacher that McNabb could be. Just because he's older, doesn't instantly mean he's Professor Quarterback. Neither does the same apply to Palmer, for that matter.

Will the Bengals put him on the trade market and see what they can get? Or will they bumble it, put Palmer on the trade market and then say behind the scenes -- we're going to release him anyway, so please, give us your draft picks, take his salary and let's make a deal!

Either way, what's not going to happen is Palmer taking a paycut. Yes, yes. That much you know. For those of you that may have missed it, on Saturday, ESPN's AFC North blogger James Walker, wrote that Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer had no intention on taking a pay-cut for another rebuilding season in Cincinnati. At the time, Walker wrote:

A source with knowledge of the situation tells ESPN.com's AFC North blog that it's highly unlikely Palmer would accept a pay cut this offseason to remain with the rebuilding Bengals (2-11). Palmer is projected to be one of the NFL's highest-paid players in 2011 with a base salary of $11.5 million, and this could be the first step to a potential parting between the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback and the team which drafted him No. 1 overall in 2003.

What you'll be fascinated to learn is that Palmer hasn't even been approached about taking a paycut, nor does it appear to be in the team's agenda, according to Mothership writer Geoff Hobson.

The Bengals have not only not approached him about a pay cut for next season, but all indications are a pay cut isn't even on their agenda. So an ESPN.com story saying he wouldn’t take a pay cut to stay in Cincinnati looks to be moot.

Moot. What a funny looking name. Moot. Hey, Bob. You're moot. Regardless, this turns into a non-issue (again, non-issue and James Walker go hand-in-hand like corny Neil McCoy songs) and the real juicy offseason gossip will be kicking off within a few weeks when the offseason kicks off.