Carson Palmer is working out

Posted by Michael David Smith on September 8, 2011, 6:42 PM EDT
AP

Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer isn’t saying anything publicly about his plans for the 2011 season, but he’s sending signals that he’ll retire unless the Bengals trade him. The Bengals, in turn, are insisting that they’ll make him retire, rather than play him.

But if that all makes it sound like Palmer absolutely won’t play, that’s not necessarily the case.

Mike Florio reported on Versus’ NBC SportsTalk that Palmer has spent the last three weeks working out with former NFL quarterback Ken O’Brien. Presumably, Palmer wouldn’t be doing drills with a former NFL quarterback unless he thought he had some time as an NFL quarterback ahead of him.

And so Palmer is at least keeping his options open, staying ready to play in case the opportunity arises. Now we’ll see whether the Bengals reconsider their stance that they’d rather he retire than play for another team.

If the Bengals do reconsider, there are bound to be some teams interested in a quarterback who threw for 3,970 yards and 26 touchdowns last season, especially considering that that quarterback is getting himself ready to play.

UPDATE: Florio and Cris Collinsworth discussed Palmer on the show.

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64 responses to “Carson Palmer is working out”

  1. Although it would be wise to trade Carson Palmer and get something in return, Mike Brown isn’t wise. And his .359 winning percentage as an owner shows that.

  3. Carson should report to camp just to mess with Brown. Force his hand and then see what he wants to do.

    Brown is a hypocrite and should feel some squeeze from Palmer and a few owners, if not the NFL. He complains that Palmer won’t live up to his contract, but how many contracts has Brown terminated?

    He says he wants to send a message, but Ochocinco gets traded because he was a disruption to the team. So that is the message you want to send? If you are unhappy you need to show up and disrupt the entire team and then we’ll trade you? Someone isn’t thinking this through.

  6. Makes you wonder what the Colts might be willing to give up to get Palmer for the year now that Peyton is basically done.

  8. I hope he shows up to work tomorrow just to screw the stupid Bengals even if it means playing for them.

  13. My my.. Used to be a big fan of this guy. Play as a Bengal or sit home.
    You can redeem yourself and get your trade for next year but you need to give something in return: one more season in Cincy – for the fans. Otherwise you will forever be Mr. Quit.

  16. If I were the colts I would put manning on the IR and give a second and a fifth for Palmer right now, then hope to trade him when manning is healthy for the second back.

  19. Ok as a Bengal fan you guys at PFT and on the boards here throw out stats on Palmer of almost 4000 yards plus 26 t.d’s. I have watched every game of his and last year Palmer threw 20 plus interceptions including several pick 6’s. Now most QB’s go years without a pick 6 but Carson managed mulitple ones in a season. Carson kept trying to give the Panthers game away last year but the Panthers Defense dropped 6 picks. He is broke, physically and mentally. His inability cost Cinci in 2 games vs’ the Jets 2 years ago, 1 in the regular season, 1 in the post season. Watch the last 2 years game tape, he’s done. He is not an upgrade and any teams fan thinking he will be a winner for your team, it’s fools gold. I have suffered since 75′ as a Bengals fan and have wanted Carson gone for the last 2 years but I don’t have to justify in type, just watch the games from the last 2 years.

  21. Don’t think there is any doubt that Mike Brown is the worst owner in sport. No question. But I agree with his stance on Palmer. First, it is not as if anyone offered the Bengals like a 1 and a 3 so that there is some temptation to give in. But why would they take something like a 4 when he is worth than that to them? If someone offered a Clint Boling (their current 4 pick) for Palmer, why would anyone bitch if they said no.

    Moreover, they have paid him more than $60 million dollars. Part of the big salary given to a QB is for leadership. When faced with adversity, and after being paid the money the player decides he wants to go home, so go home. if anything, Palmer’s rep has taken a bigger hit than Brown’s. And the truth was he had a lousy year last year and a real player says I am going back and be better. Palmer just quit.

  23. I hope he comes back and MB sits him on the bench behind Andy Dalton until a team offers up a sweet trade in return. I just hope Mike Brown has changed is way and is just waiting until his value goes up. Yes I’m an eternal optimist.

  28. If he doesnt keep working who would trade for him? He is willing to play….for a team that’s not the Bengals. This is not news. This is how it’s been the whole time. He did not start this by saying he really wants to retire.

  29. That is great to hear….I love his triceps.

    ????? Nice post….Very informative, seeing how it is the owner of that Tiger team will take Carson to the grave with him…Stubborn old bastard.

  30. @dhawk
    first off it is browns right(believe me i HATE defending him) to terminate any players contract that is the nfl and sorry to say what makes it great guarenteed contracts have ruined the nba and mlb in my opinion.2nd Ocho d-bag has been begging to get out since after the ’05 season when he got in a fight at halftime with the coaches he is largely done in this league anyway everyone thinks he will be great in N.E. ha he is a shell of the player he once was.Palmer isnt stupid if he would have come back and tutored dalton for a year they would have traded him I.E.Boomer Esiason.How come no one questions this guys love for the game they would have won more games if he did not throw so many pick sixes!The bengals defense is solid and they will win more games than people think not good but respectable 6-10 or 7-9 with a rookie QB thats pretty good..See sam bradford who gets hyped like the next great he won 7 games in the worst division ive ever seen in my life,so if dalton wins 6 or 7 in the afc north always one of the best divisions in football due to the great managing of balt. and pitt. will u tools give him his due doubt it!

  33. The Bengals / Brown are the laughing stock of pro sports. Feel bad for their fans who just shouldn’t show up for games.

  34. He will owe $30K/day in fines since July 29 for not reporting. If he reports, MFBrown could cut him then and demand the payment in Carson’s after tax $$$.

    Then Garcon Palmierre the French Maid QB will be whining & begging his wife to let him file the retirement papers, after which Harvard Lawyer & crack negotiator/contract crafter Brown will demand he pay back a portion of the bonus money for not honoring the intent of the contract & accepting the signing bonus.

    I’m thinking teams aren’t actually falling all over themselves to trade much to assume the quitter Garcon’s exorbitant 11.5mil salary, plus he’s the one who said he wanted to RETIRE rather than play football.

    Think about it … would YOU want this ‘guy’ fiddling at the controls of YOUR team’s offensive psyche?

  35. One thing comes to mind when I think of this situation: mike brown is an idiot.who pays that much money for a pack of chicken flavored ramen noodles?

  37. He is officially known in Cincinnati as “Idiot #9”. Please use his new name when referring to him. I heard he has submitted the forms to change his name legally in a Miami courtroom referred to him by Chad Ochojohnson.

  38. Actually, showing up would absolutely be the best way to force a trade or a release. Aside from the money thing, every day he’s there, and Dalton looks horrid in practice, it has to apply pressure to the whole organization.

    Or Dalton could look great in practice, and Mike Brown would be reminded of all that money he’s wasting on a QB they don’t need.

    Win-win.

    Of course, this assumes Carson doesn’t look good enough, himself, to make a case for starting. He just wants to look good enough to be a competent backup.

  40. 1) The only way Palmer gets back into Paul Brown Stadium is if he buys a ticket! Brown has likely asked security to block him getting to the field/locker room.

    2) Remember the Mike Brown/Sam Wyche “He Fired me!”, “No he quit” controversy. In that one, Sam apparently made an ultimatum to quit if Mike didn’t do something and Mike accepted it as a resignation. Mike never paid Sam’s last two years on his contract. The Carson ultimatum will be handled the same way.

    Carson said to Mike that he’d retire if he wasn’t traded. Mike won’t trade him, so he will refuse to pay Carson nor let him near the field. (See Steve McNair lockout that took a court order to let him practice). In this case, Brown has a case as Carson’s agent went public and Carson never publically denounced it. So it is a reasonable assumption that Carson is retired and the club made changes based on that assumption.

    3) IF Carson came back, expect Brown to sue him for damages and breach of contract. Carson’s refusal to play has cost the team a draft pick, a free agent QB pickup (Gradkowski), and probably at least 15,000 season tickets and the damage can probably be multiplied/accounted for the remaining years of his contract. That $50 million nest egg he has saved could go up in smoke in court and Brown would rightfully, in my opinion, be owed the damages for what Carson has done to the team.

    4) Carson can’t simply retire and then unretire a’la Favre. It requires two things. First, after filing retirement paperwork, the team owning the contract must file with the NFL to relinquish it. Second, the comissioner must approve the reinstatement. Do you think Brown will voluntairily give up Carson’s contract? Do you think the Commissioner would approve Carson’s re-entrance into the NFL without Brown’s concurrence? NO!

    Finally, Carson can’t wait three years until his contract expires. If he doesn’t show up before the sixth game each year, he doesn’t get credit for a year against the contract. Thus a three year hold out will result in him still owing Brown three years of service on the contract.

    Carson received bad advice, whether it be from his agent or wife (wanting out of Cincinnati). Best he can do is be a commentator for one of the networks and use that as a bully pulpit to criticize Brown and the Bengals.

  41. @ Broncofanatic7:

    Unless the Bengals grant him his release he will still be property of the Bengals if he pulled a “Favre.” As long as the Bengals don’t release him and he retires then tries to come out of retirement the only way he can play for another team is if he is released.

  42. Brown will NEVER trade him, because he’s an idiot. He could sure help the Colts out right now because Collins is not the answer for Peyton.

  46. Redskins, Indy, Dallas, Giants, Miami, Jacksonville, Bills, all could benefit from having him as their starter.

  47. Not sure how Mike Brown lives with himself. Besides all the money, he can’t be proud of anything he’s done. Inheriting a team, fleecing a county and continually putting out a dogsh*t team. Any decent team we had was in spite of him. Most in Cincy would blow his brains out if given impunity to save some face on our laughingstock image.

  49. “Why can’t he just pull a Favre? Retire… and then come back and play for another team that needs him. Makes sense to me!”

    If that’s all any player had to do to get out of a bad situation, they would all be doing it. Palmer has 3 more years on his contract. He could be out of the game for a decade but those 3 years still belong to the Bengals when he comes back.

  50. What if Lewis makes him try to pass a rigorous conditioning test, but keeps failing him. Is he obliged to pass it before he is put on the roster? Could he be put on the PUP list out of spite?

  53. If I was Palmer, I would show up and start doing stupid stuff like tripping over my own feet, throwing passes into the dirt, punting the ball on third down, etc…..just to piss Brown off LOL!

  55. Broncofanatic7 says:
    Sep 8, 2011 6:58 PM
    Why can’t he just pull a Favre? Retire… and then come back and play for another team that needs him. Makes sense to me!

    Because if a player retires in the middle of a contract he still has to honor the contract if he comes back. The contract is essentially put on “hold.” Favre retired at the end of his contracts. So, if Carson doesn’t get traded or cut he’s stuck with the Bengals at least through 2014.

  56. buffordtjustice says:Sep 8, 2011 6:58 PM

    Peyton is not done. I have a good feeling he will be back by week 15 or 16.

    ————————————–

    Is that feeling based on the recent surgery that you performed on him or some psychic ability that you possess…

    Idiot

  57. Carson is acting like he wasn’t a big part of the problem in Cincy. He has gotten everything he wanted over the years and then decides to act like a 4-12 season doesn’t have anything to do with his poor play. All this nonsense about the Bengals being the worst franchise in pro sport is baloney. Who cares what the dopes at ESPN think? If you are a fan, you are a fan.

  58. >>> brintfatre says: Redskins, Indy, Dallas, Giants, Miami, Jacksonville, Bills, all could benefit from having him as their starter<<<

    Seems to me like dwindling supply of competent QBs + growing demand to fill the position with same = possible bidding war on the horizon?

    Just because anybody says one thing (alleged clueless owner/GM Snidely Brownlash included) doesn't actually mean that's the be all & end all for eternity. Poker features something called "the bluff", and Harvard Lawyer & master negotiator/contractual engineer Brown understands this just as well (if not better) than just about anyone.

    The alleged feeler to #9 a couple of weeks ago was to warn him of the either/or point for reporting and the steps Brown would then be forced to take as a demonstration of the leveraged hand he could throw down on the former QB in case he eventually called Brown's supposed 'bluff' & reported for $pite, after which it would no longer be any sort of bluff at all … but rather a hot & ready howitzer pointing straight at his bank account.

    I've grown so very weary of the pointless kneejerk lemmmings constantly typing "why hasn't stupid Brown traded him already?" for the same 2012 draft pix that he'll still be able to get same as now & which wouldn't do a thing for this year's edition in either case.

    Plus there was always the possibility that French maid Garcon Palmierre could have seen fit to grown a pair & come to his senses (all except wifey the pants wearer would never sign off on that) in time to actually still be an effective part of the 2011 Bengals?

  59. Carson was supposed to be a leader on this team but showed his true (quitter) qualities and became a bigger distraction than Ocho and TO idioto’s combined…Now that the last member of the side show is almost gone from Cincy, let’s get serious about football! Yea, he threw for 3900+ but that’s how it goes when your getting your ass kicked week in, week out. Retire bonehead! We’ve moved on!

  60. mojosmagic says:

    The Bengals / Brown are the laughing stock of pro sports. Feel bad for their fans who just shouldn’t show up for games.
    ————————————————–

    Now, wait a minute …

    I’d say the Bengals have a dysfunctional owner … but then again, the man makes a heckuva lot of money without investing anywhere near what some other owners invest. And this team won its division just two years ago playing against the defending Super Bowl champion and the defending runner up in the AFC Championship.

    The Browns are a team on the rise who last year beat the defending Super Bowl champion and could well surprise everyone this year by snagging a Wildcard. This is a storied franchise with eight league championships. My Steelers didn’t win a single playoff game in the first 40 years of its existence. Fortunately, the fans didn’t give up on them.

  61. Am I blue …
    Am I blue …
    Ain’t these tears in these eyes tellin’ you …
    How can you ask me, ‘Am I blue?’ …
    Why, wouldn’t you be, too?

  63. @ ‘rockieschef’ says…..

    ‘it’s great to be a packers fan’……..

    Sure it is……NOW….

    But it wasn’t so much fun being a Packers fan back in the 80’s was it, when the Packers sucked and it was the Bengals going to the Superbowl….

  64. I dont understand how not one person on here gets the main reason Palmer wants out. It doesn’t have as much to do with losing as it does how the redneck idiot fans treated him. Throwing garbage on his lawn, verbaling attacking his wife anytime she tried to go somewhere. He did it mainly to protect his wife and family. Frankly I dont blame him. I wouldnt want to play for fans like that either nor would I want to subject my family to that kind of abuse. I’m a Bengals fan and live here. And I am ashamed of these fans. Its a game. Its sick and disturbing the way some fans take it so seriously that they would attack his wife? are you serious? Let me ask you this? what would you do? Yeah he could ship his family to california. But wud you want to be away from your family to play for a bunch of jerk fans? I wouldn’t.

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