Deja vu: Is Matt Schaub deal Carson Palmer all over again?

On October 19th, 2011, the Oakland Raiders traded for Carson Palmer. Now nearly two and a half years later, the Raiders are trading for Matt Schaub. Both players are strikingly similar but the deals to acquire them are considerably different.

When the Raiders traded for Palmer in 2011, he was coming off an awful season in which he threw 20 interceptions. Palmer was so bad that he didn't see the field in 2011 until the Raiders gave him a chance. Fast forward to 2014 and Schaub is in a similar situation. He had a terrible season in 2013 throwing 14 interceptions to 10 touchdowns in just 8 starts. After 6 games, the Texans benched Schaub in favor of Case Keenum (Schaub reclaimed the starting spot the last two weeks of the season).

With the exception of one disappointing year, both quarterbacks have experienced tremendous success in the NFL. Palmer was a two-time Pro Bowler who eclipsed 4,000 yards three times. Schaub has also been to the Pro Bowl two times and has three 4,000 yard seasons. But teams don't care about the past, they care about the present.

When Palmer came to the Raiders, he was 31 years old and was widely viewed as having passed his prime. Schaub is currently 32 years old and has left fans wondering if his best years are behind him.

Carson Palmer lasted a year and a half in Oakland. During that time period, Palmer threw 30 interceptions to 35 touchdowns. After a disappointing season in 2012, Palmer was traded to the Arizona Cardinals for a sixth-round pick.

The Raiders' gamble on Matt Schaub certainly brings back memories of the Carson Palmer trade. Raider fans hope that this time though, the Raiders will hit the jackpot. And the truth is, the Raiders already have.

The biggest difference between the Schaub and Palmer trades is what the Raiders gave up for them. When the Raiders acquired Palmer, they gave the Bengals a 2012 first-round draft pick and a second-round selection in the 2013 draft. The Raiders also had to pick up Palmer's old contract which paid him $12.5 million in 2012. Hue Jackson was so high on Palmer, that he called the deal "The greatest trade in football." But in reality, Jackson acted out of desperation when Jason Campbell was injured mid-season and as a result, overpaid for Palmer.

Schaub comes at an affordable cost. Besides picking up Schaub's salary which pays him $11 million in 2013, the Raiders only gave up a sixth-round draft pick. While $10 million may seem like a lot for Schaub, the Raiders had around $21 million they need to be spent in order to bring their salary cap space down to $3.88 million (The projected rookie pool for the Raider's picks according to Overthecap.com).

So, sure Carson Palmer and Matt Schaub are very similar types of players at the same stages of their careers. But this time the Raiders got that player for next to nothing with a favorable salary as opposed to the costly deal they made to get with Carson Palmer.