This probably isn't the kind of thing you're too worried about on a day in which the Steelers advanced to the Super Bowl, but it could help shape the AFC North in the coming seasons nonetheless. Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer is ready to retire if Cincinnati doesn't trade him:
↵↵↵The longtime Bengals quarterback will request a trade from the team, and he's prepared to retire if it isn't granted, ESPN reported Sunday, citing several sources.
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The Bengals' official website said text messages and phone calls to Palmer weren't returned. The Bengals, whose coaches arrived in Mobile, Ala., for the Senior Bowl, didn't have a comment on the report.
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The ESPN report cites unnamed sources who say that Palmer has earned enough money to last the rest of his life, and is ready to quit if he doesn't get out of Cincinnati. The report also names the Seattle Seahawks as a possible trading partner.
↵Palmer isn't a great quarterback, particularly not in the last few years, but he has his moments, and the Bengals could be in a serious bind if he left. Their next two quarterbacks are Dan LeFevour and Carson's brother Jordan Palmer, and neither of them are really credible starting options. Until now, the Bengals have mostly been connected to Georgia wideout A.J. Green in mock drafts, but if they believe Palmer is serious about departing, I wonder if they might go for a quarterback with the fourth overall pick. The problem is that there isn't really anyone who's a good value that high, so they would have to reach for someone like Missouri's Blaine Gabbert. A trade is also a possibility.