Less than 24 hours after Oakland Raiders starting quarterback Jason Campbell broke his collarbone in the Raiders' win over the Cleveland Browns, rumors of potential trades have already begun to swirl. The two most common names to be linked to a potential trade with Oakland are former Cincinnati Bengals starting quarterback Carson Palmer and Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton.
While it appears that Campbell could be out for the season, a trade for either of these players simply does not make much sense for the Oakland Raiders.
A trade for Carson Palmer might make sense for the Raiders if not for the fact that it would come at a rather large price. The Raiders have already traded away a large number of draft picks over the next couple of years and cannot afford to trade even more away for what would be nothing more than a stop gap player. The Raiders like Jason Campbell, and before his injury, Campbell was starting to look like he could have a real good season with the Raiders. In addition, the Raiders drafted Terrelle Pyror with a third round pick in the supplemental draft with ideas of him being a starter for the Raiders down the line. Considering the stance the Bengals are taking with Carson Palmer, and the fact that they are currently sitting at 4-2 with Andy Dalton, there does not seem to be a reason for them to trade Palmer unless they get something like a first or second round pick for him.
A trade for Kyle Orton simply does not make any sense for the Raiders. First off, there are the same concerns with the lack of draft picks in upcoming drafts. Second, Orton just does not fit the Raiders vertical passing offense. Third, trades within a division rarely occur, so if the Broncos are willing to trade Orton to the Raiders, either they are stepping up their game in the Suck for Luck sweepstakes, or they really think Orton is not worth their time.
Neither of these trades make much sense for the Raiders, but it really is not surprising that the rumors have begun. If any other team had lost their starting quarterback for the season this past weekend, these two would likely have been tied to that team as a trade possibility just because they are the two best trade options. At this point, I am just happy that the name Brett Favre has not been tied to the Raiders.