Disgruntled and formerly “retired” quarterback of the Cincinnati Bengals, Carson Palmer finally got his wish as he was sent to the Oakland Raiders for draft picks. For the Oakland Raiders it will come with a heavy price tag. A first round pick in 2012, and a conditional first round pick in 2013 was the price they decided to pay for Palmer’s services.
In a move that reeks of Al Davis, the Raiders surrendered yet more picks from their 2012 draft class. Hue Jackson who has been quoted as saying that he was under Al’s guidance this past year and a half, and believes he’s taking risks as “Coach Davis” would have done. This is surely a bold manuever in the fact that this leaves them with no first, second or fourth round picks next season. They should recover a couple of third rounders with the compensation from losing Namdi Asamuah and Robert Gallery however.
The expectation is that because of Palmer’s prior experience with Jackson that he would be able to step right in. I’m not completely convinced of that, but it has been rumored that Palmer has been working out the last few months in SoCal at an athletic performance center throwing passes to the likes of T.O. and his former mate T.J. Housh. Conceivably the Raiders could have him step in as soon as this week, with a limited playbook, and rely heavily on Darren McFadden to get them past the Chiefs.
While this is a huge move at this point in the season for the Raiders, it’s a classic move that Al Davis has made before. The former #1 draft pick, the Heisman Trophy winner getting his 2nd shot to be a winner. Jason Campbell’s injury while unfortunate, may be exactly what the Raiders needed. Palmer should give the young receivers on the team a boost as well, as the bye week comes at a perfect time following the Kansas City game. By week 8 when they play Denver at home, Palmer will have had three full weeks in the system, and should be ready to lead this team to a division title and the playoffs.