The NFL is all about money, unless you have more money than you can ever spend. At that point, players just want to make their mark. Winning a Super Bowl is the ultimate way for a quarterback to make his mark on the game, and that's what Carson Palmer seems to be eyeing.
According to Michael Silver of Yahoo Sports, Palmer may ultimately choose to be a backup for a team with a chance to win the Super Bowl over starting for a poor football team, namely the Oakland Raiders.
Palmer rejected taking a $3 million pay cut earlier this month. The move probably had more to do with Palmer wanting out of Oakland than just wanting to keep the money he signed his contract for. By not taking the pay cut, Palmer drastically increased his odds of being cut by the Raiders. Free agency would allow him to try to find a contender to sign with.
"Carson isn't 28, and he doesn't know how much time he has left," a source told Silver. "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."
That sentiment pretty much sums it up. In other words, Carson Palmer is comfortable financially, but his career hasn't been as productive as he wanted it to be. By signing with a contender, Palmer could help correct some of that imbalance he's experienced.
