What Does the Carson Palmer Trade Mean for the Bengals?

The Cincinnati Bengals pulled a fast one on the Oakland Raiders by acquiring a first and second (potentially a first) round pick for a quarterback who not only didn’t want to be on the team, he had no intention of ever coming back.

This is a guy the Bengals were likely going to have to let walk next offseason and get nothing for him, in all likelihood.

At least nothing compared to what they got from the Raiders on Tuesday.

This trade allows the Bengals a ton of flexibility in the next two drafts. They can move up or down in the first round depending on how their season finishes out, and right now their season is looking pretty good.

At 4-2, both the Bengals and Raiders have a chance to make some waves this season, but that doesn’t mean the Bengals are done building through the draft. What this deal does is buy Marvin Lewis a lot more time as the Cincinnati head coach, especially coming off of a season where they were picking fourth in the draft.

I think the Bengals would do well to continue adding pieces to their secondary in the coming draft, as well as running back and possibly another receiver to go along with emerging star A.J. Green.

One thing seems for sure–I was wrong about the Bengals and their current roster, and no matter how the rest of the season turns out, this team has made great strides and has an impressive foundation for the future.