The Oakland Raiders made one of the biggest mid season trades in recent history last season when they acquired starting quarterback Carson Palmer. After losing their starting QB Jason Campbell to a broken collar bone, the Raiders looked desperate for an answer that did not go by the name Kyle Boller. As a result, they traded a first round pick and a conditional first round pick to get a guy who had not seen the field yet that season.
Almost immediately, the trade created intense passion one way or the other. Either the trade was a coup for the Raiders and was one of the best trades a team could make. Or, it was a horrendous overreaction to a mid season injury that set the Raiders back years due to giving up important draft picks. Almost no one toed the line and declared that both sides were winners in the trade. No one, that is, until now.
Carson Palmer decided to comment on the trade this morning when he appeared on the Dan Patrick show. Palmer stated that there was nothing to patch up between himself and his former team, the Cincinnatti Bengals. He went on to say that it was over and they should both move on, which should be easy to do because according to Palmer, both teams will look back on the trade and realize that it was the best thing for both franchises.
The Raiders finally get the franchise quarterback they have been searching high and low for since the retirement of Rich Gannon. The Bengals got to end the controversy that surrounded the franchise with Palmer refusing to come back to the team and received more than fair compensation for him.
In Palmer's eyes, both teams were winners in the trade that brought him to Oakland. This season should be a good way of telling whether or not Palmer's analysis is correct.