As we all know, Hue Jackson pushed a healthy chuck of his chips to the middle of the table in order to pry Palmer away from Mike Brown and the Cincinnati Bengals. Oakland’s trade has the potential to be worth two first round picks if all goes according to Hue’s plan.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter the next highest offer made for Palmer was a third round pick.

Not that we needed further confirmation of the high price paid for Palmer’s services but there it is.

No matter what you make of this there is nothing that explicitly states the Raiders overpaid. Yes, trading two top picks is an extreme value. But we’ll have to wait and see what comes of those draft choices before giving this deal an official grade. We’ll also have to wait and see how Palmer plays before deciding anything. Should Palmer become the key that unlocks the cabinet to another Lombardi then this deal will seem a real bargain.
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Curry was at least playing football this season prior to slipping into a Silver and Black uniform. Palmer has been tossing the rock and taking mental reps while awaiting his fate to be decided by Mike Brown.

Still that isn’t slowing Coach Jackson’s roll. If you saw his presser yesterday then you know there are toddlers out there that do a better job hiding their excitement on Christmas morning than he did. Can’t blame the guy though. It’s not everyday you lose your starting QB only to turn around and land another quality starter.

Even tough Palmer looks likely to start there should be some serious consideration taken before handing him the job.
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Fact of the matter is Jackson is trying to just win right now, baby!

But hey, this is football, one of the most bottom line businesses you’ll find. Therefore it was imperative the Raiders not rest on their laurels.  That was the mentality that got Tom Cable a one-way ticket to Seattle. And judging by how aggressively the Raiders moved to acquire both Aaron Curry and now Carson Palmer it appears as if Coach Jackson has no plans on moving to the Pacific Northwest.

In the coming days you’ll hear plenty of arguments on both sides of the fence for the Palmer trade.

Did the Raiders overpay? Well, yes. But how else were you going to pry Palmer from the vice grip of Mike Brown?

Did the Bengals get the better end of the deal? Well, that remains to be seen. First round picks are worshiped in the NFL unless said picks turnout to be Akili Smith or Ki-Jana Carter or Dan Wilkinson. So time will tell on that.

We’re also going to have to wait and see which Carson Palmer appears in the East Bay. If it’s the Palmer of yore that was poised to push his way into the elite standing of NFL quarterbacks then this trade will look like a steal. Toss a Pro Bowl QB into the mix with an already explosive offense and you’ve got yourself a weapon that would warrant a full-scale invasion should it fall into the hands of terrorists.

Now if we end up getting the Palmer plagued by injury and general indifference then this will make Jason Campbell look like the savior he was once perceived to be.

Either way it was a gamble the Raiders had to make today if they’re serious about winning yesterday.
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