The Oakland Raiders and quarterback Carson Palmer have been
in a showdown regarding the veteran’s hefty contract for some time. Oakland
wants Palmer to take a pay cut, but the quarterback hasn’t been willing to do
so, thus far. It’s now being reported by Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports that
Palmer may prefer to be a backup with a contender rather than start for the
Raiders.
"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."
Palmer is set to receive $13 million from the Raiders next
season. The team reportedly asked him to a take a $3 million pay cut in order
to remain on the roster, but he’s so far refused to do so. While this $10
million is more than Palmer is likely to command on the open market, he has reportedly
become fed up with playing for the Raiders.
Oakland has indicated that they may be willing to pay Palmer’s
salary for the time being, but it’s hard to imagine them committing $13 million
to a player that doesn’t believe in the team or have interest being on its
roster.
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