Carson Palmer is the epitome of a dollarnaire, having been so wise with his NFL money, that Palmer will walk away from any situation that he doesn’t feel is prudent to his success.
Palmer who is due $13 million from the Raiders this season was simply asked to take a $3 million pay cut, that still would have ensured a base salary of $10 million.
Most pundits would have expected Palmer to take that money and be cool with it. You would expect that Palmer wouldn’t command anywhere near $10 million on the open market, and there was no guarantee that he would be a starter elsewhere.
Palmer though has balked at such a proposal, and according to reports, isn’t overly concerned about being paid a ton or being a starter.
Yahoo Sports is reporting that Palmer and people in his camp know that he’s not getting any younger. Palmer reportedly would rather take a pay cut and be a backup on a winning team, than start for Raiders team going nowhere.
“Carson isn’t 28, and he doesn’t know how much time he has left,” one source close to Palmer said Wednesday. “Does he want to be with a team that is clearly rebuilding and looks like it’s a long way away from contending, where he doesn’t have a whole lot around him?
“He’s gotten to play a lot in his career, but he hasn’t gotten to experience a lot of winning. At this point, I think being somewhere where they have a chance to win is the most important thing.”
“At this point,” said one of the sources familiar with Palmer’s thinking, “he’s got to be wondering, ‘What have I signed up for?’ And, ‘Do I have a fighting chance?’ “
There have been rumors of the Arizona Cardinals being interested in Palmer if he’s released, but at that point you have to wonder if that’s even plausible fit for Palmer, considering he wants to play for a winner.