Welcome to what is apparently now your home of Oakland Raiders news, Bolts from the Blue! Forget all that nonsense about Kyle Boller yesterday, he's back to being the backup QB. The new starter for the 2nd place Raiders is Carson Palmer, or at least he'll be the starter as soon as Hue Jackson is comfortable putting Palmer (who threw his last NFL pass in January) into the game.
Jay Glazer was the first to break the story and the compensation, which includes the Raiders sending the Cincinnati Bengals their first-round pick in 2012 along with a conditional pick in 2013 that will be either a first or second-rounder, based on Palmer's performance with Oakland.
Not only does this leave the Raiders with no picks earlier than the 5th round in next year's NFL Draft, but it puts them on the hook for Palmer's contract. He is owed at least $11 million per year for the next four seasons, while Campbell ($4.5 million in 2011) is a free agent after this year. Even if Palmer is an upgrade over Campbell, and he is (although maybe not by much), the Raiders just inherited a QB that is older, worse and higher-paid than Philip Rivers. Sounds like a win for the Charger fans.
After the jump, a quick comparison of Campbell, Palmer and Rivers.
| Record | QB Rating | Sack% | |
| Campbell (2010) | 7-5 | 84.5 | 9.1% |
| Palmer (2010) | 4-12 | 82.4 | 4.2% |
| Rivers (2010) | 9-7 | 101.8 | 6.5% |
I don't know why I included Sack%. It's my new favorite stat. If you don't know what it is, it is the percentage of passing plays in which the QB gets sacked. Obviously, Campbell had a issue with holding onto the ball last year. Palmer is less mobile, but doesn't hold onto the ball too long and doesn't take many sacks.
Take away Palmer's two Pro Bowl seasons (2005, 2006), and his career numbers don't look all that different than Campbell's. They both have losing records over the course of their careers as well. Palmer certainly has the potential to keep the Raiders winning this season, but it seems to me like they've mortgaged their future (draft picks, salary cap, giving up on Campbell) for a QB that's not a huge improvement over the guy that they just lost.
For what it's worth, Raider fans seem pretty split in their reaction to this trade. About half have faith that Hue Jackson is the new Bill Belichick and to trust in everything the Raiders do because of him, while the other half are pretty sure that Oakland just wasted a first and a second round pick on a washed-up QB that has a big contract.