Carson Palmer Gives Deshaun Watson Advice Nearly a Decade After Demanding Trade

`The Bengals traded Palmer to the Raiders in 2011

Author:
All Bengals Staff
Publish date:
Feb 2, 2021 7:45 AM EST

Deshaun Watson asked the Texans for a trade this offseason, but Houston general manager Nick Caserio says the team has no plans to deal the three-time Pro Bowler.

The 25-year-old is one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. Not many players of his caliber have demanded a trade or had their wish granted.

Former Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer briefly retired prior to the 2011 season after team president Mike Brown wouldn't grant his trade request.

Ultimately, the Bengals sent Palmer to the Raiders in exchange for first and second-round draft picks. He spent two seasons in Oakland before being dealt to Arizona, where he helped them make the NFC Championship Game.

The 41-year-old officially retired after the 2017 season, even though he was willing to walk away from the game much sooner if the Bengals hadn't traded him to the Raiders.

Palmer gave Watson some advice during his appearance on the Rich Eisen Show on Monday.

"You just gotta stick to your guns," Palmer said. "If you're in it to get out and he has realized that he's got to get out of there and it's not a winning combination with his skillset and the way he leads that team to get to a Super Bowl then you gotta stick to your guns. And if you said you're demanding a trade, you can't then go back and renegotiate how it can work out. You gotta stick to your guns. I hope that he's got a destination in mind because at the end of the day he's not a free agent. He's asking to be traded so whoever has the biggest price tag as far as draft capital to give the Texans is where he's gonna go. On one side of it you gotta stick to your guns, but you also gotta be careful for what you wish for because Houston's not a bottom tier organization in my opinion. There could be worse situations to go into."

The Bengals traded Palmer to the Raiders on Oct. 18, 2011. He peeled back the curtain to give fans an idea of what it was like to potentially walk away from the game in his prime.

"At one point I knew a certain team was willing to give up multiple first-round picks and when I was trying to get out of the Bengals situation, they [the Bengals] weren't even willing to listen to the phone call," Palmer said. "And so that was my barometer I said 'you know what, if they're not even willing to listen and hear the call, then they're not really trying to win the Super Bowl' and that was my point. And that was why I needed a change."

As talented as Palmer was when the Bengals traded him to Oakland, Watson is on an entirely different level. He was one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL this season.

He's six years younger than Palmer was when he asked for a trade. Watson also has a no-trade clause, which is a big factor in the Texans' potential talks with other teams.

Palmer believes Watson could benefit from a deal, especially since he can control his destination.

"If he can stick to his guns and he's got that no trade clause then it really could end up being a great situation for him to go to a place that he wants to go to that's ready to win a Super Bowl."

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