We’ll it’s official. Bengals owner Mike Brown has confirmed that quarterback Carson Palmer has requested a trade.
And Brown says he declined.
“We are not trading Carson,” Brown said, in a quote posted by the team on Twitter.
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter reported on Sunday that Palmer wants out, and that he’ll possibly retire if he’s not traded.
Since all of Palmer’s signing bonus money has been counted toward years he has played under his current deal, which runs through 2014, Palmer could retire without having to forfeit to the Bengals any money that he previously has received.
That said, he’d also be giving up nearly $50 million in future salaries, assuming that the Bengals keep him for each of the next four years.
Palmer turned 31 on December 27, 2010, and he presumably has at least another five years left, if he chooses to keep playing.