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I know…I know. One player is no more responsible for a team’s failure than he is for its success. And I’m fully aware Carson Palmer entered a football house of pain when he was traded to the Oakland Raiders. No matter what things were going to end this way with CP3.

And I’m also aware that Palmer didn’t negotiate the hideous trade Hue Jackson orchestrated out of desperation. So I’m not laying all the blame for the Raiders’ woes during the Palmer era on Carson.

That said it is very revealing that Palmer’s record as a starter in Oakland is 8-16 whereas JaMarcus Russell notched a 7-18 mark during his tumultuous tenure.

It’s also undeniable that Palmer was as horrible in the clutch as Jerry Sandusky’s lawyer was in court. Some losing causes just aren’t worth fighting for. And that’s pretty much how Palmer played when the game was on the line.

Cue the typical Palmer apologist comments now…

He threw for 4,000 yards with no receivers.

Yeah, but most of those yards were between the 20s, not inside of them where QBs earn their paychecks. The red zone isn’t just a bonus level on Metal Gear.

But Carson was a hard worker.

So is Tim Tebow. For once can we just all agree that the overwhelming majority of men that make a career out of playing pro ball work hard? To quote Chris Rock “whatcha want a cookie?”

Palmer had to play in that hideous Greg Knapp offense.

Touché…

All things considered Palmer was an absolute failure in Oakland. The team regressed on his watch and no matter whose fault that was is irrelevant. Dude was supposed to be a franchise QB. Franchise QBs find ways to win when the game is on the line. They don’t massage the rock during a two minute drill. They don’t throw pick sixes in the clutch. They don’t rack up pointless stats when the outcome is no longer in doubt. And they certainly don’t refuse a pay cut from one bad team just to take one for another bad team.

Most of all they don’t get traded for a 7^th round pick.

Thanks for nothing, Carson Palmer.

I’m not taking the high road just because he did. My best friends are good guys too. But if they stunk it up on Sundays in Silver and Black I’d say the same thing. Have we forgotten the Raider motto?

Just…what, baby?

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Last year Carson Palmer was willing to restructure his contract in order to help Reggie McKenzie free a little cap space. Apparently that was a one-time offer as Palmer is reported to be unwilling to do the same this year.

Of course last year’s restructure was just that. Palmer still got all his pay.

This year it’s widely assumed that McKenzie is asking for a restructure in the form of Palmer taking less cash. No real surprise CP3 is unwilling to play ball. As fans in Cincinnati know all too well Palmer is willing to do anything to get himself out of a bad situation.

What I’m getting at is Palmer already knows McKenzie has no desire to pay his $13-million salary in 2013. Thus if Palmer doesn’t take a pay cut he’ll be cut. In other words Palmer is putting this all on management.

If the Raiders want Carson they’ll keep him at the pre-negotiated rate. If not they’ll let him walk.

From where I sit it looks as if Palmer is pretty much checking out of Oakland in passive-aggressive fashion. But that also suits McKenzie just fine as he’s in the process of rebuilding the franchise from the ground up. So parting with Palmer was inevitable if not this season than the next for sure.

About the only real question remaining is have we seen the last of Palmer an NFL starter? Sure, some team with a terrible QB situation (cough, cough, New York Jets) could take a pass at Palmer for some spot starter work. Both otherwise Oakland was Carson’s last bet to be a fulltime signal caller. But even that isn’t guaranteed given the desire of the coaching staff to give Terrelle Pryor a chance to win the job in camp.

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

We all know that Reggie McKenzie has no desire to pay $13-million for a past-his-prime quarterback that looks likely to be entering his final year as an NFL starter. Carson Palmer’s contract is the elephant in the room everyone sees yet nobody within the Oakland organization is commenting on.

Already there was pressure on Palmer to restructure his contract when Michael Vick took a pay cut just to remain in Philly for another year. Now comes even more contractual encouragement as NFL golden boy Tom Brady has signed a cash saving extension that will open up millions for the Pats in cap space going forward.

Now don’t be fooled by the move. Brady is still going get his pay day. On paper he’s saving face and some cap space but ultimately he’ll still be clocking major coin. Just call it creative accounting.

However this is yet another move that puts Palmer’s lucrative deal in perspective. You could argue that Brady has enough money to last him a lifetime. But that has nothing to do making a move that helps the team. At this point Palmer is at the crossroads. His days as a starter could be over if the Raiders decide to release him. Certainly his days of earning eight figures have ended. You can take that to the bank.

Whether or not Palmer opts to restructure his deal is irrelevant. No matter what his pay is getting slashed. What he has to decide is whether or not he wants to play for less is Oakland or elsewhere.