ESPN Report - Carson wants to be traded

[Roy Tucker]

The potential lockout makes this situation pretty odd in that no trades can happen.

But if the labor dispute gets solved in a timely fashion, I wonder how in the world the Bengals can think about going into the next season with Carson Palmer when he has made it hugely and abundantly clear he wants nothing to do with the Bengals? I mean, are they going to get a whip out and flog him onto the field? This is just a no-win situation for the Bengals.

The guy doesn't want to be here. Get him out and move on.

[Orenda]

It's Carson Palmer's fault that when he looks in the mirror he sees himself, ochenta y cinco and TO?

These guy have contracts and are supposed to be professionals. Sure Palmer could have nudged the team along more vocally, but when an organization has a philosophy that it counts on the dependable people to reign in all the wild cards and loose cannons that it brings in by choice, it's starting in a hole to begin with.

[Redhook]

Has Carson Palmer handled this situation correctly? That's debatable.

Has Mike Brown handled this situation correctly? That's debatable.

What's not debatable is how Mike Brown has provided a consistent atmosphere for losing and has not shown a single sign on trying to stop it. He's a disgrace to the NFL, his father, and the entire Cincinnati area.

Good for Palmer trying to get away from this stinking pile of wretched garbage, also known as the Cincinnati Bengals. I don't blame him one bit.

[KoryMac5]

Has Carson Palmer handled this situation correctly? That's debatable.

Has Mike Brown handled this situation correctly? That's debatable.

What's not debatable is how Mike Brown has provided a consistent atmosphere for losing and has not shown a single sign on trying to stop it. He's a disgrace to the NFL, his father, and the entire Cincinnati area.

Good for Palmer trying to get away from this stinking pile of wretched garbage, also known as the Cincinnati Bengals. I don't blame him one bit.

Didn't Carson know what he was getting into when he signed that hefty contract extension. It's not like Mike Brown pulled the wool over his eyes. I think Carson was blinded by all those zeros on that big old check.

[Topcat]

Didn't Carson know what he was getting into when he signed that hefty contract extension. It's not like Mike Brown pulled the wool over his eyes. I think Carson was blinded by all those zeros on that big old check.

Not to dismiss Carson but would he not have received as big a check elsewhere? I know most Bengals fans realize that Mike Brown runs a truly poor front office and scouting budget.

[Redhook]

Didn't Carson know what he was getting into when he signed that hefty contract extension. It's not like Mike Brown pulled the wool over his eyes. I think Carson was blinded by all those zeros on that big old check.

He knew what he was doing. However, shouldn't people be able to change their mind from time to time, or be able to change jobs? He wants a change. Big deal. Brown should listen and explore trading him.

[Redsfaithful]

Carson's made comments in the past (and so have other players) that he wanted to have more input into how the team is ran, that he had suggestions, and that nobody in the front office was interested in hearing them. I believe he said something along the lines that he's just an employee.

Then again I know he lobbied for TO and got his wish (and Reggie Kelly ... but not Housh).

I'm not sure Mike Brown is interested in players having any input into the way things are run (historically he's barely let the coaches have input), and that hurts the leadership ability of anyone on the team.

[traderumor]

Carson's made comments in the past (and so have other players) that he wanted to have more input into how the team is ran, that he had suggestions, and that nobody in the front office was interested in hearing them. I believe he said something along the lines that he's just an employee.

Then again I know he lobbied for TO and got his wish (and Reggie Kelly ... but not Housh).

I'm not sure Mike Brown is interested in players having any input into the way things are run (historically he's barely let the coaches have input), and that hurts the leadership ability of anyone on the team.

With all due respect, a player having "input into how the team is ran" is a recipe for disaster. Any solid organization has clear lines of authority, and players need to focus their attention on "production." Any player may have valuable input, and Brown may not have a solid organizational structure overall, but having players who have the ear of administration is going to weaken the entire organization.

[Sea Ray]

Mike Brown is a terrible owner. We all know that but Carson has been part of the problem too. If he was not a leader then he lacked a key skill NFL teams look for in their QB. We especially hear that this time of year as they evaluate QB prospects. Simply put, if Carson didn't have it in him to be a leader then he was a lesser QB because of it

[Hoosier Red]

Not to dismiss Carson but would he not have received as big a check elsewhere? I know most Bengals fans realize that Mike Brown runs a truly poor front office and scouting budget.

The thing that gets to me is Carson's not necessarily wanting to change that arrangement. He doesn't want to get paid for not working, he either wants to get paid by a different team, or he wants to not get paid and not work.

No matter what he thought when he signed it, he's changed his mind now. He has the leverage necessary to retire if he wishes.

[texasdave]

He knew what he was doing. However, shouldn't people be able to change their mind from time to time, or be able to change jobs? He wants a change. Big deal. Brown should listen and explore trading him.

Sounds like a pretty good argument for non-guaranteed contracts, IMO.

[KoryMac5]

If he retires I wonder how much of that signing bonus he will have to pay back. I am sure we will know what Mike Brown plans to do come April when the pick is announced.

[Yachtzee]

If he retires I wonder how much of that signing bonus he will have to pay back. I am sure we will know what Mike Brown plans to do come April when the pick is announced.

I don't know if he would have to pay any of it back.

[Sea Ray]

If he retires I wonder how much of that signing bonus he will have to pay back. I am sure we will know what Mike Brown plans to do come April when the pick is announced.

I've read that he won't have to pay any of it back. He's already played enough years of the contract to pay it off

[Mario-Rijo]

I've read that he won't have to pay any of it back. He's already played enough years of the contract to pay it off

According to Mike Lombardi of the NFL network he wouldn't have to pay anything back under the current CBA (see Ashley Lelie as Lombardi referenced) however it remains to be seen if under the new CBA he would have to pay back any portion. This could be an issue on the table after Mike Vicks situation with the Falcons amongst a couple of other players including Lelie.

Just a tidbit from a piece in 2007:

So for all the concerns that changes to the league's collective bargaining agreement and a questionable ruling in an arbitration case involving Ashley Lelie might retard the pace of bargaining and force an inordinate amount of holdouts in the first round, that has hardly been the case.

In April, an arbitrator ruled that Lelie had to pay the Denver Broncos about $600,000 in prorated signing bonus money from his original contract, in the wake of his dispute with Denver that led to his trade to Atlanta in 2006. The Broncos were also looking to recoup part of his option bonus, but the ruling stipulated that teams could not recover such option bonuses, even if a player defaulted on his contract.

ESPN Link

Not much more in that piece. But the following piece has some fine pieces of info.

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Broncos must pay $220,000 to former receiver Ashley Lelie as part of their dispute over his ugly departure to Atlanta, The Denver Post reported Friday on its website.

The newspaper said an arbitrator has ruled in favor of Lelie in his grievance against the team. Broncos officials declined comment at practice and Lelie's agent, Peter Schaffer, did not immediately return a message left by The Associated Press.

Lelie, who led the league in yards per catch the last two seasons, skipped the Broncos' offseason workout program, forgoing a $100,000 bonus. He said he wanted out of Denver because the Broncos were misusing him and weren't giving him the chance to be the featured pass-catcher with Rod Smith and Javon Walker on the roster.

At the time, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said Lelie had agreed to pay Denver a "hefty amount" to get out of the final year of his contract. The amount was believed to be somewhere around $1 million, made up of fines, lost bonuses and a prorated portion of his $3.3 million signing bonus.

USA Today Link