Earlier today I reported that Peter King wrote that he thinks Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer will be lured back into stripes for the 2011 season by a combination of having a new offensive coordinator, Jay Gruden, and the Bengals parting ways with Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco.
At the same time, on NFL.com, Solomon Wilcots wrote that Carson Palmer isn't bluffing and that he will retire if he's not traded and the Bengals should be proactive so they don't get stuck with having a disgruntled quarterback or no quarterback at all.
Wilcots came up with a way to trade Palmer, receive two first-round draft picks and still end up with a quarterback that could lead the Bengals to the post-season in the future.
I can see that Palmer has grown tired of the losing environment. He has never been an outspoken individual, but now that he has spoken, it would be wise for the Bengals to listen. It’s clear they will lose Palmer one way or the other, so the right move is to be proactive in dealing with the situation.
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The Bengals need to recognize who Palmer is, and that he wouldn’t make a trade demand if he didn’t mean it. If he’s outspoken about an issue, know that he’s thought about it long and hard. This isn’t a knee-jerk reaction on his part. He’s frustrated and ready to move on, and it would be wise for the Bengals to explore their options sooner rather than later while the value is at its highest.
Wilcots went on to say that a quarterback needs to have his heart in the game and if it doesn't, it can be a detriment to the entire team. He asked the very good question of whether or not the Bengals would want to have a quarterback who didn't have his heart in the game to be in the same huddle with young and impressionable receivers like Jerome Simpson, Andre Caldwell, Jordan Shipley and Jermaine Gresham.
Wilcots' solution is one that Bengals owner Mike Brown said wasn't an option. That solution is to trade Palmer and the sooner the trade would take place, the better.
I see Eagles backup QB Kevin Kolb as a very viable option for the Bengals. New Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden knows Eagles coach Andy Reid well and should be running a similar offensive system.
If the Bengals swapped draft picks with the Eagles, receiving their No. 25 overall pick, they would give away their No. 4 overall pick and receive Kolb. Wilcots then said they could try to deal Palmer to someplace like the Seattle Seahawks for their first-round pick (No. 23). If that scenario played out, they would have the 23rd and 25th pick in the first round of the draft and have Kold to take the snaps in 2011.
In that scenario, the Bengals would have Kolb, plus the No. 23 and 25 picks, and have improved their fortunes with a young quarterback who is ready to launch.
Even though Brown said that he wouldn't be trading Palmer because he's central to the Bengals' plans, at least considering a trade with a team like the Eagles for Kolb would be smart. The Eagles have no reason to pay Kolb the salary that he's receiving because of Michael Vick's success. Vick is the quarterback of the future for the Eagles.
If the Bengals find that they could make a three way trade that would land Kolb in Cincinnati and send Palmer to his former college coach in Seattle, they may be wise to do so. However, if they sit on their hands and just say no to Palmer's trade demands (which I'm sure is probably the plan), they could find themselves with disgruntled quarterback in a huddle full of very impressionable young receivers, or, even worse, with a different Palmer in the huddle because Carson decided to follow through with his promise to retire.