Bengals owner Mike Brown reiterated his stance that the team will not trade quarterback Carson Palmer by Tuesday's NFL deadline.
Palmer“There are [no trades] discussed or processed as we speak,” Brown said in a joint interview with The Cincinnati Enquirer and Bengals.com. “I’ve had my say on it. That’s all there is to say.”
If the Bengals don't trade Palmer next week, the next available window to do so would be at the start of the new league year, which is sometime at the beginning of March. Once the first free-agent wave is over, a team that was unable to land a quarterback might be willing to trade for Palmer.
But Brown indicated that there are no long-range plans for the disgruntled quarterback.
“It would be an option to trade any player, but we have not looked that far ahead,” Brown said. “I’m not focused on it.”
With Palmer gone, Andy Dalton has directed the Bengals to a surprising 3-2 start. Brown said he's been impressed with the rookie's poise but fell short of anointing him his franchise quarterback.
“He’s our quarterback now and doing very well,” Brown said. “I’m pleased with how he’s doing and I think he can be the guy here.”
As long as Dalton performs at this level, the Bengals won't hear any clamoring for Palmer. Brown and the team have made their point to future disgruntled players by not agreeing to Palmer's demands and making him sit out an entire season. But the Bengals, who need as many draft picks as possible in restocking this roster, would only be hurting themselves if they don't trade Palmer next offseason.
