The Cardinals added another quarterback Tuesday, and they didn’t have to give up much to get him.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Cards completed the deal with the Raiders in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2014.
The condition is that he starts 13 games, meaning if he falls short of being the full-time starter, the Cards don’t owe them a thing.
The Raiders had moved on upon acquiring Matt Flynn, so getting Palmer off the payroll was all they really needed. A conditional seventh is just something that allows them to say they didn’t give him away.
UPDATE 1:54 p.m. ET: According to the Cardinals’ official website, the deal actually includes a swap of 2013 picks also, with the Cardinals sending a 2013 sixth-rounder (176th overall) for a Raiders’ seventh-rounder (219th).
So while it is more than a highly conditional 2014 pick, it’s barely greater than if Bag O’Balls had been thrown in.