NFL Free Agency: Oakland Raiders May Release Carson Palmer
By Josh Hill
Pryor is hoping he can earn the starting job in Oakland but it might simply be handed to him as the Raiders are struggling with what to do with Carson Palmer and his $13 million salary. The Raiders are trying to find a way to reduce that salary as much as they can, but they best option might be to just cut Palmer and move on with Pryor and another, cheaper quarterback.
Even if Palmer stays around, the indication is that Pryor will be the starter next season as he’s the favorite to win the open competition that will occur in training camp this offseason. The biggest evidence suggesting this is the fact that the Raiders are trying to reduce Palmer’s salary as much as they can, which is basically saying they’re not anticipating him being a starter, let alone a $13 million quarterback in 2013.
The Raiders need someone behind Terrelle Pryor, but they could very easily draft a quarterback this April and move on with the open competition from there, as a rookie quarterback taken later in the draft would come at a significantly lesser price than Palmer would.
Ian Rapoport from NFL.com reports that Palmer may end up being released because of all these factors, and it truly does make the most sense for the Raiders.
However, a release by the Raiders does not spell the end of Palmer’s NFL career. He’s demonstrated in the past that he’s not afraid to take a pay cut in order to make a roster, as he refused a significant salary with the Bengals a few years ago. So if the Raiders do end up cutting Palmer, he’ll instantly invigorate an otherwise stale quarterback pool in free agency and will likely land with a team searching for a veteran backup at a good price.