Carson Palmer Trade? Raiders Reach Out to Bengals, but Deal is Doubtful

Carson Palmer has had his trade request fall on deaf ears in the form of Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown. Palmer has said he would not play this season for the Bengals. But he's still under contract, meaning Brown has been reluctant to cut ties the retired Palmer and give in to demands.

Enter the Oakland Raiders. All of a sudden, they have a quarterback situation. Their starter, Jason Campbell, left Sunday's win over the Cleveland Browns with a broken collarbone. He's probably going to miss the rest of the season.

Their options? First, there's Kyle Boller. Yes, he of the 70.4 career passer rating, 56.7 completion percentage, 48 touchdowns and 51 interceptions. That Kyle Boller.

Second, there's Terrelle Pryor. Yes, he of the newly granted eligibility to play professional football after a five-game suspension, and he of the zero career attempted passes. That Terrelle Pryor.

So, Palmer. The trade deadline is Tuesday. Perfect fit, right? The Bengals, who don't really need Palmer anyway at 4-2, can use him to build for the future. They turn him into future draft picks. The Raiders, also at a surprising 4-2, can potentially keep the magic going this season with a legitimate quarterback.

The problems are all on the Bengals' side, but those problems are why this deal will probably never happen.

First is the issue of fair value. The Raiders aren't going to give up a first-round pick for a quarterback that hasn't played through six games of the season, and who hasn't really played well since 2007. And, because of the regular depletion of their draft picks under Al Davis, who died two weekends ago, the Raiders do not have second-, third- or fourth-round picks.

So, the Bengals probably wouldn't see return until the 2013, not the 2012, NFL draft. That's a long time to gamble the Raiders will still be bad and take the draft picks.

The next issue is Brown's unwillingness -- stubbornness, even -- to give into demands from his players. In 2008, Brown denied a trade request from the Washington Redskins for 2008 and 2009 first-round picks.

Finally, the last reason is simple: The Bengals and Raiders are both 4-2. They are both, for the moment, in the thick of AFC playoff contention. They are both surprises. There's little reason to believe that Brown would trade Carson Palmer to the Raiders with the possibility that Brown will look foolish if the Raiders end up in the playoffs and his team does not.

Looks like the Raiders will still have a black hole (sorry) at the quarterback position.