Carson Palmer, a talented passer who refused to report to the Cincinnati Bengals, was sent to the Oakland Raiders on Tuesday just ahead of the National Football League trade deadline.
The Bengals obtained a first-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and a choice in the 2013 draft in exchange for the 31-year-old quarterback.
If the Raiders win a playoff game this season, the 2013 pick would be a first-round selection. If not, it will be a second-round choice.
The Raiders, in early playoff contention at 4-2, needed a new signal caller after Jason Campbell suffered a broken collarbone and underwent surgery on Monday that will sideline him for at least six weeks.
That left Oakland’s only quarterbacks as rookie Terrelle Pryor and Kyle Boller, who last started in 2009.
Palmer had demanded a trade for months, saying he would retire if not given the chance to play for another club. The Bengals refused to make a deal, saying they considered him retired when he did not report.
But Oakland offered a deal the Bengals could not refuse, a move helped by the fact that the Bengals are also off to a 4-2 start thanks to rookie quarterback Andy Dalton filling in superbly in the absence of Palmer.
“When this opportunity arose, we felt we could not let it pass and needed to take a step forward with the football team if we could,” Bengals owner Mike Brown said. “We find ourselves being able to receive real value for Carson.”
The Bengals have managed only two winning seasons in the past two decades while the Raiders have not reached the playoffs since 2002.
While he has not played since January 2 and has had no pre-season training camp, Palmer will be asked to step onto a new team and make an immediate impact.
Palmer had been working out in Southern California but reported to the Raiders headquarters on Tuesday to start learning offensive schemes. The Raiders play host to Kansas City on Sunday then have a week off.
The deal comes 10 days after the death of long-time Raiders owner Al Davis at age 82. Davis oversaw all gridiron operations for the club.
Palmer suffered a left knee injury in a playoff game after the 2005 season and need major surgery. He tore an elbow ligament and tendon in his throwing arm in 2008 but returned to help the Bengals to a 2009 division title.
Palmer has completed 2,024 of 3,217 career passes for 22,694 yards with 154 touchdowns and run for five touchdowns over his 97 NFL games since being the top overall pick of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Bengals.
Palmer was a college star at the University of Southern California, where Raiders coach Hue Jackson guided him for two seasons as the school’s offensive coordinator. Jackson was also Cincinnati’s receivers coach for three seasons.
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