Andy Dalton hasn’t taken one meaningful snap yet in his NFL career and already his team may have concerns about whether or not he can get the job done.

According to Yahoo Sports’ Jason Cole, the Bengals “leaked” their interest in Carson Palmer coming out of retirement because they’re concerned about Dalton starting as a rookie. But as Rotoworld.com points out, this might just be speculation on Cole’s part and they’re probably right. After all, what difference does it make if they “leak” out that they’re interested in Palmer? It would make more sense if they were being coy about situation because then it wouldn’t look bad on their part that they’re not showing faith in Dalton. How do the Bengals help themselves by “leaking” this information out? Cole’s report makes zero sense.

But let’s assume for a moment that part of Cole’s report makes sense and that the Bengals fear Dalton isn’t ready. My question is: What did they expect? Dalton was a fine college quarterback but he didn’t exactly face the toughest competition at TCU and there were questions about his arm strength heading into the draft. They knew Palmer didn’t want anything to do with coming back and they should have known that Dalton was going to be a major project. Thus, they should have had option B in place in case Dalton struggled in preseason. Vince Young was available earlier this offseason, as was Matt Hasselbeck and now so is David Garrard. There’s no guarantee that Young or Hasselbeck would have come to Cincinnati but as far as I know the Bengals never tried to pursue them either. If I were them, I’d jump on the phone with Garrard’s agent before a team like the Colts beats them to the punch.

But if Garrard isn’t in their plans then I say the Bengals mush on with Dalton. He’s a rookie and he’s going to have his ups and downs. But if he learns on the job then maybe next year he’ll be better. And maybe the year after that he’ll turn the Bengals into a contender assuming they add pieces around him.

Or maybe the guy will be a total bust and never live up to anything in the NFL. Either way, the Bengals took this risk and now they might as well show their full support in the kid. After all, it’s not like they’ve left themselves with better options.

Bengals owner Mike Brown reiterated on Monday that he has no intentions of honoring Carson Palmer’s trade demand.

From NFL.com:

“We don’t plan to trade Carson,” Brown said Monday at the NFL Spring Meeting. “He’s important to us. He’s a very fine player, and we do want him to come back. If he chooses not to, he’d retire. And we would go with Andy Dalton, the younger player we drafted, who’s a good prospect.

“Ideally, we’d have both of them. That’d be the best way to go forward. If we don’t have Carson, we’ll go with Andy.”

Neither Brown nor Palmer is giving in here. The Bengals would probably prefer to play Palmer for a year or two before Dalton is ready to take over, but Palmer seems hell bent on leaving. At this point Dalton seems like a lock to start Week 1 of the season, although situations change all the time in the NFL so you never know.

It’ll be interesting to see if the Bengals are the ones to crack first and talk to Palmer about restructuring his deal so they can trade him. Because I don’t see anyone dealing for a 31-year-old quarterback with poor arm strength and paying him $20-plus million over the next two years.

Even though they can’t make any trades until the CBA is signed, the Bengals have reportedly “floated the idea” of trading for Kevin Kolb internally according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

“Make no mistake about it,” said Schefter. “The Bengals know they need to move on without Carson Palmer.”

Schefter also notes that Cincinnati may strongly consider drafting a quarterback No. 4 overall, which would therefore make trading for Kolb a moot point. The team is in a tough position because if they don’t address their need at quarterback during the draft, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to trade for Kolb after the draft. And then what? They try to convince Palmer to change his mind or go into the season with Jordan Palmer as their starter? Yikes.

The other problem is that the Bengals have been awfully conservative in the past when it comes to trades. With the Cardinals, Titans, 49ers and Vikings all in the market for a quarterback as well, they probably would be willing to give up more in a trade than Cincinnati would. And then what? The Bengals try to convince Palmer to change his mind or go into the season with Jordan Palmer as their starter? Yiiiiikes.

The most logical scenario is that the Bengals will draft a quarterback in one of the first two rounds and bypass the idea of trading for Kolb. It’s not the ideal way to look at things because hey, if you like Kolb and think he gives you the best chance to win, then trade for him. But these are extraordinary times that call for extraordinary measures for teams like the Bengals.

While most of the NFL world is entrenched in the ongoing battle between the players and owners, there’s a more personal battle going on in Cincinnati right now between one player and one owner.

Carson Palmer wants to be traded from the Bengals or vows to retire. But Cincinnati owner Mike Brown reiterated on Monday night that his quarterback is not available and does “not see equal value” on the trade market.

“I want him back,” Brown said. “I haven’t talked to any other team about him. I have no plans to trade him.”

Things can obviously change in a hurry in the NFL. One minute a team says they have no desire to trade a player, the next minute said player is on a plane heading for a new destination. But Brown seems serious in his desire not to trade the 31-year-old starter, even though the draft is coming up in a little over a month. One would think that if the Bengals were to trade Palmer once the CBA mess clears up, they would need to draft a signal caller in one of the first three rounds next month.

If they do draft a quarterback, Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert would be a logical choice at No. 4 and Florida State’s Christian Ponder is an option in the second round. In fact, Ponder might be a better overall fit for Jay Gruden’s West Coast Offense because his best attribute is his accuracy, which is an obvious requirement for a WCO quarterback.

No matter which direction Brown chooses, he better have a game plan. Because if Palmer sticks to his guns and retires and the Bengals go into the 2011 season with Jordan Palmer, they’re going to be in some serious trouble.

Quarterback Matt Ryan doesn’t do much tweeting (which the Falcons are probably thankful for given how much trouble athletes seem to find on Twitter), so it was somewhat surprising to see what he said on Monday about friend Carson Palmer.

Carson Palmer and I are really good friends, I wonder which team he’ll be playing for next year, certainly won’t be the Bengals

Ryan certainly isn’t breaking news here. Since requesting a trade in late January, Palmer has been steadfast in his desire not to return to the Bengals next season, even going as far as to say that he’ll retire then play another down for Cincinnati. President Mike Brown insists that he won’t trade the eight-year veteran, but even his coach Marvin Lewis believes that Palmer will play elsewhere in 2011.

Still, it’s interesting to see a “really good friend” and someone (I assume) with knowledge of the situation say that Palmer won’t be back with the Bengals next year. Again, Ryan doesn’t tweet much so for him to write something with so much certainty is interesting. (Of course, Ryan could just be basing his assumptions on what everyone else has been reporting about Palmer over the past two months.)

The Panthers, Bills, Titans, 49ers, Redskins, Vikings and Seahawks are all in the market for a quarterback and might pursue Palmer if the owners and players can ever agree on a CBA. Seattle would seem like a logical fit given Palmer’s connection to his former USC head coach Pete Carroll.

One unnamed NFL GM tells CBS Sports that head coach Marvin Lewis “knows” that quarterback Carson Palmer won’t play for the Bengals next season.

Essentially, the question is this: Can [Lewis] convince Brown to deal Palmer for draft picks, players or both to get something of value this season? Most people believe he cannot, and that was reiterated by our GM who said he’s certain Cincinnati won’t budge on Palmer because of what it would mean for others.

But he also said that if Palmer is true to his word and retires it might increase his value for 2012, with teams believing that if he has that much of a conviction, is that disciplined, is that true to himself, then he’s exactly the sort of quarterback they’d like as a leader.

“He can still play, and he can still play at a high level,” the GM said.

It’s kind of a moot point to talk about potential trades seeing as how we’re in the middle of a lockout but this Palmer situation won’t die down. Making matters more complex is that if the Bengals were willing to trade him, it would make sense to do so before the draft. But since teams can’t make trades right now, the Bengals are stuck.

It cannot be overstated: the Bengals have a mess on their hands here. Brown doesn’t want to set a precedent for other disgruntled players to follow Palmer and demand trades just because they want out of Cincinnati. But if Palmer follows through and retires, then obviously the best recourse for the Bengals is to trade him in order to get something in return. And if Lewis knows that Palmer doesn’t want to be his quarterback, then I would have to assume that he wants someone else in place who does.

For now, at least the Bengals have plenty of time on their hands to figure out what they want to do with Palmer. Because there doesn’t appear to be a quick resolution to the labor mess.

A week after the team’s official website reported that the Bengals would “kick the tires” on possible quarterback options this offseason, Peter King writes that Cincinnati will listen to offers for Carson Palmer once the CBA is finalized.

It’s looking more and more that the Bengals will draft their future quarterback in April, maybe even in the first round (they hold the No. 4 overall pick). Blaine Gabbert, Cam Newton, Jake Locker and Ryan Mallett are all viewed as potential first rounders, but don’t rule out the possibility of Cincinnati taking someone like Christian Ponder seeing as how Jay Gruden has been hired as offensive coordinator. (Ponder’s best attribute is that he’s an accurate passer and Gruden will implement his version of the West Coast Offense, which requires a quarterback that’s accurate.)

The question I keep bringing up in regards to trading Palmer is what team will be willing to take on his salary and give up a draft pick(s) in order to acquire him? He’s still a serviceable starter but he’s 31 and his best days are clearly behind him. He may have performed well in the final two weeks of the 2010 regular season, but on a whole he wasn’t very good last season. Considering he’s owed $11.5 million in each of the next two years, plus $13 million in 2013 and $14 million in 2014, would teams rather wait to see if he’s released and then sign him to a more reasonable contract?

Rotoworld mentions the 49ers, Cardinals and Seahawks as possibilities for Palmer. All of those teams are logical choices, but I still have a hard time believing that any one of them would fight for a declining quarterback that they’d have to pay $11.5 million next season.

According to the team’s official website, the Bengals are taking Carson Palmer’s threat to be traded or retire “quite seriously” and will kick the tires on all kinds of quarterback options this offseason. One option might be to draft a quarterback with the No. 4 overall pick so that they’re not stuck with Carson’s brother Jordan at the top of their depth chart next season.

It figures that this report would surface three days after I put together a post titled, “Three reasons why Carson Palmer will remain a Bengal.” Timing is everything in life and mine is somewhere between horrendous and awful.

If the Bengals do decide to draft a quarterback, either Blaine Gabbert or Cam Newton could be available in the first round depending on what the Panthers and Bills do ahead of them. Many mock drafts have Carolina selecting Gabbert with the top overall pick and Buffalo picking Newton at No. 3. One option the Bengals have is to see how the first three picks play out and then go from there.

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The National Football Post is reporting that Carson Palmer is still serious about his request to be traded this offseason. Teammate Andrew Whitworth even went as far as to say that the quarterback “wouldn’t speak out unless it was something he was serious about.”

But a trade or outright release still seems highly unlikely at this point. Things can change rather quickly in the NFL so I’m not suggesting that there’s zero chance that Palmer could play elsewhere next season, but here are three reasons I believe he’ll remain a Bengal.

1. His contract.
Palmer signed a six-year, $118.75 million contract extension in 2005. He’s set to make $11.5 million the next two years, $13 million in 2013 and $14 million in 2014 before he becomes a free agent in 2015. He’s 31 and hasn’t been the same quarterback since he suffered that knee injury in the 2004 playoffs. How can the Bengals convince any team to take on his salary and part with a draft pick(s)? Unless Palmer were to take a significant pay cut and/or the Bengals were willing to accept less value for a starting quarterback (which Palmer still is, regardless of his struggles the past couple of seasons), he won’t be moved. Releasing him is still an option, but keep in mind that the Bengals are the ones that want to retain him. It’s Palmer who wants out.

2. Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco will be gone.
When Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell were his starting receivers the last two weeks of the season, Palmer put up his best numbers of the year and actually looked like he was having fun again. Maybe the having fun part is a misconception but it’s not hard to believe that Palmer is worn out from playing with guys like Ochocinco, T.O. and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. They’re always open, they always want the ball and they’re always in either Palmer or Marvin Lewis’ ear. But Owens (a free agent) probably won’t be back and Houshmandzadeh is long gone, which only leaves Ochocinco. There have been conflicting reports about whether or not the Bengals want to keep the Ocho for next year. But when you consider he’s 33, his production has started to decline, he’s scheduled to make $6 million in the final year of his contract and he can be a headache, it would appear that there’s only a slim chance he’ll return next season. If the Bengals can guarantee Palmer that he doesn’t have to deal with some of the distractions that he’s had to put up with his entire career, it stands to reason that he would give Cincinnati another try.

3. Jay Gruden.
The Bengals fired Bob Bratkowski as offensive coordinator and hired Jay Gruden to provide a spark to the offense. In Bratkowski’s system, the receiver’s routes took time to develop, which meant Palmer had to sit in the pocket and was seemingly always under duress. But Gruden’s system is designed for the quarterback to get the ball out of his hands quickly and is much more quarterback-friendly (as was Jon Gruden’s West Coast Offense in Tampa Bay and Oakland). Thus, if the Bengals could rid themselves of T.O. and Ochocinco and provide Palmer with a more quarterback-friendly system, it may rejuvenate him. (Then the team doesn’t have to worry about drafting a signal caller at No. 4 when they have so many other needs to address.) Of course, the Bengals still have to part ways with Ochocinco and convince Palmer that things will be better, but hey, it’s a long offseason. They have some time.

Comment Starter: Will Palmer remain a Bengal or will the team look to trade or release him this offseason?

According to Bengals.com writer Geoff Hobson, at least one NFL GM believes that quarterback Carson Palmer could fetch a first-round pick from a “playoff ready” team if Cincinnati owner Mike Brown makes him available.

One NFL general manager said Tuesday the Bengals can’t be a hurry to trade Palmer if they don’t have an experienced quarterback “in the pipeline,” which they don’t. He also said he thought Palmer could net a first-round pick from a team that is “playoff ready.”

“I don’t think his skills have declined. I think he’s got everything you want,” The GM said. “But for whatever reason, I don’t think he’s ever put it all together and from what I can tell, they’ve tried to surround him with good players.”

Either this GM was drunk when Hobson spoke with him or he’s someone within the Bengals organization that is trying to create a market for Palmer this offseason. Because anyone with functioning vision can see that Palmer isn’t worth a first rounder. He may have finished the 2010 season on a high note, but two weeks of good play isn’t enough to entice a team to part with a first-rounder in exchange for a fading quarterback that’s owed $50 million over the next four years.

But for a moment, let’s at least entertain the idea that Palmer would bring back a first rounder. These are the teams that could be in the market for a quarterback next season: Redskins, Bills, Dolphins, Cardinals, 49ers, Raiders, Vikings, Browns, Panthers, Jaguars and Titans.

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