After the Bengals selected Nevada outside linebacker Dontay Moch in the third round, Chris Berman spent a little time interviewing Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. After Lewis expressed satisfaction with the draft thus far, Berman turned the conversation to a more obvious question, asking Lewis if Carson Palmer will play for the Bengals in 2011.
"Obviously my conversation with him earlier in the offseason was that he was going to retire," said Lewis. "We've made our plans and so forth to move forward and go forward without Carson. He's very at peace with his decisions and that's basically all we need to say."
Palmer threatened in late January that if he's not traded, then he'll "play the retirement card."
Lewis' response isn't the first time he's said something similar. Peter King wrote in a March Monday Morning Quarterback:
I've heard Marvin Lewis is acknowledging to people he knows in football that Palmer won't be back in Cincinnati, and the Bengals are looking into all of the top quarterback prospects. "Marvin knows how stubborn Carson is, and he thinks no matter what happens, the guy won't change his mind,'' said one club executive. I believe that. But that doesn't mean the Bengals will deal him either.
As a result the Bengals drafted TCU quarterback in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. The Bengals have made no indication that they're willing to capitulate to Palmer's demand and trade him. However, Chris Mortensen has reported recently that Bengals owner Mike Brown "may consider" a trade if the offer is right (we assume it will be something close to 15 first round picks).
However with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals issuing a temporary stay, the NFL immediately re-initiated the lockout. Even if the Bengals wanted to make a trade, they're simply not allowed to.