After months and months of a bitter standoff that resulted in the Cincinnati Bengals moving an entirely different direction from their franchise quarterback, Mike Brown, the Bengals’ owner, is apparently ready to make nice with former starting quarterback Carson Palmer. Or at least that’s what Oakland Raiders head coach Hue Jackson would have you believe.
In a press conference introducing Palmer to the Raiders media just hours after the trade that brought him over from the Bengals for a first round pick and conditional second round choice in 2013, Jackson commented on how the trade went down. For those unfamiliar, Brown swore he wouldn’t trade his face of the franchise after he demanded a trade and Palmer admits he thought he would have to remain retired. The two were mired in stubborn positions and it wasn’t until the Raiders came calling at the last second that Brown changed his mind.
Jackson’s words at the press conference are interesting because it seems he engineered the deal to convince Brown to get over his issues and let them make a deal. The bounty was certainly enticing enough to get it done as well, since most believe the Bengals fleeced the Raiders. But the following comments were rather intriguing:
“I have so much respect [for] Mike. Having worked there with him, been in drafts with him, coached some of his best players with him in that organization and I think he has respect for this organization and coach Davis. I think the respect was mutual and he said so. He said ‘Hue, I like you and I want to see you do well and I want to see Carson do well. And I want us to do well’ being the Bengals. So I think at the end of the day I think it was a fit for everybody and I think it worked out in everybody’s behalf.”
Brown wanted to see Carson do well? What happened to that sentiment over the last several months? Funny what a few high draft picks will do for you.