Ok, so like, I feel like that girl from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" who, like, rambles off the rumors she heard from like a friend of a friend's like friend, but this is the latest sitch on the Raiders quarterback front.
The Raiders want to keep Carson Palmer but they want him to lower his 2013 contract figure which has a $13 million salary and a $15 million cap hit. They worked out a trade with the Seahawks to acquire Matt Flynn but won't complete the deal unless Flynn re-works his contract which carries a $5.25 million salary.
The Cardinals have stepped into the mix as they would like to take Carson Palmer off the Raiders' hands. But the Cardinals, just like the Raiders, won't go through with it unless Palmer reworks his contract. They would be taking on his $13 million salary which is too much for their liking.
If no trade can be made with Palmer, the Cardinals will have to hope Flynn does his part to make the trade feasible for the Raiders. If he does, then there is a good possibility the Raiders cut Palmer at which point the Cardinals can attempt to sign him as a free agent at a lower price.
But if both Flynn and Palmer refuse to redo their contracts, the Raiders could end up with neither Flynn or Palmer. If that happens, the Raiders have reportedly discussed former Cardinal Kevin Kolb as their fallback target. The Cardinals would in turn sign Palmer and essentially the Raiders and Cardinals will have swapped each other's quarterbacks.
Kolb and Palmer have a lot in common of late. Both were acquired in big trades in 2011 and signed to big money contracts. The Cardinals sent a round 2 pick and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to the Eagles for Kolb who they then signed to a $20.5 million deal. The Raiders, midway through the 2011 season, sent a 2012 first round pick and 2013 second round pick to the Bengals for Palmer.
There is little comparison between them as far as play on the field. Kolb was a outright failure in Arizona and Palmer threw for over 4000 yards in just over 14 games last season. Kolb has already been cut in favor of Drew Stanton. And if the Raiders can work out the numbers with Flynn, he would be a better option and Palmer could be out.
Kolb also has much in common with Flynn. Both were career backups who shined in limited time and were given big deals elsewhere only to get beaten out for the starting job there as well. In that regard, the Raiders signing Kolb might not be a whole lot different than trading for Flynn. Although, in fairness to Flynn, he was beaten out by a rookie phenom in Russell Wilson. Kolb lost the job all on his own.
It is conceivable the Cardinals and Raiders could pick up each other's cast-offs this off-season. The Cardinals would pay a lot more but get a lot more. Kolb is not considered a great consolation prize, and -- unlike Palmer or Flynn -- would not be the odds on starter heading into next season. He would have no better shot going in than Terrelle Pryor or whomever else the team signs or drafts before camp.
Loading comments...