It was announced yesterday that the stubborn owner of the Bengals, Mike Brown, decided that a first round pick and a conditional pick that has a chance to be another first rounder were enough for him to finally trade Carson Palmer. The Raiders now have what they hope is a the first competent quarterback they have had in years, but they had to give up quite a bit to get him.
The Arizona Cardinals recently went through a trade of this caliber this past summer when they dealt Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second round pick to the Eagles in exchange for Kevin Kolb. The hope for Arizona is that Kolb can be their new franchise quarterback and lead the team back to numerous playoff appearances.
After taking a look at both of these trades and what was given up in return for these signal callers, do you think what the Cardinals surrendered for Kolb is now more justified?
Palmer will be turning 32 by the time this season is over and his skills will only continue to decline. NFL analysts have been saying for a while now that Carson is simply not the same player since blowing out his knee nearly five years ago. Yes, he passed for almost 4,000 yards last season, but most of them came in garbage time when his team was getting blown out. If it were different, then they wouldn't have had the fourth overall pick in the draft. Keep in mind that Palmer also threw 20 picks last year as well.
Palmer is owed $43 million through 2014 on top of what the Raiders already had to give up to get him. He was originally supposed to only make $38.5 million through 2014, but the Raiders decided to pay him even more according to Albert Breer. Oakland also reportedly agreed to pick up his entire 2011 salary as well, even though he has missed the first 1/3 of the season.
Looking at Kolb, he just turned 27 and his skills, unlike Palmer's, should only continue to rise. Kolb is known as a good teammate, (which Palmer apparently was not given that he abandoned his team in Ohio), and he is a natural leader. He is finally getting a chance to start in the NFL since being traded to the Cardinals. So far, he has been underwhelming, but he had to learn an entirely new offense and due to his youth and inexperience, acclimating will take time.
Arizona gave up a player that was lackadaisical in coverage in DRC; he would no longer have fit in with the defense Ray Horton was planning to utilize. The second round pick was necessary due to the difference in positions that Kolb and Cromartie play. It's Kolb's contract that seems like the sticking point for most people. He signed a 5-year $63 million extension to come play for Arizona.
Oakland is banking on someone that was a good quarterback in years past, but he has basically hit his ceiling for potential and they are not sure if he can even perform at a high level anymore. Arizona, on the flip side, is banking on potential without knowing much of how it will all end up. Kolb could become one of the best quarterbacks in franchise history or he could be a flop. It was a risk, but one that was necessary.
The bottom line is that quarterbacks are a necessary commodity in this league, therefore they come at a steep price. Many felt that the Cardinals drastically overpaid for Kolb when that deal was made, but are there any changed opinions now that Palmer was dealt for an arguably even higher cost?
What do you think fans? Do you think that after seeing how this Palmer deal went down, Kolb's deal is now more justified? Let your voice be heard in the comments.