On Tuesday, Oakland shocked the world by dealing two first-round draft picks -- a 2012 first-rounder and a 2013 conditional first-rounder -- for Carson Palmer, retired Bengals quarterback.
Though the Raiders success will determine the long-term winners in this deal, we're prepared to make some knee-jerk reactions right now anyway.
(Ed. Note: We'll have a live chat with Pete Prisco, Mike Freeman, Clark Judge, Will Brinson, Ryan Wilson and Josh Katzowitz starting at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow -- set a reminder below and join us.)
WINNERS
Mike Brown -- I've been on record as saying Brown was a fool for letting Palmer get older without getting something in return for him, despite the fact that he's had ample opportunities to get a significant bounty -- see: the Cardinals overpaying for Kevin Kolb -- in return for someone who refused to play for his team. But this? This is highway robbery. This is Brown pulling off something no one saw coming and making his team better in the long run. Kudos to him for this.
Carson Palmer -- Guess Mike Brown *technically* caved to his demands huh? Sure, Brown would have been a damn fool to pass up what the Raiders gave, but Palmer's now released from the control of Brown and the Bengals and he gets to play football again. Plus, he's doing it for a team that's a contender, a coach he likes and knows, and he has a pile of weapons available that don't spend their time away from the field filming VH-1 shows.
Darrius Heyward-Bey, Denarius Moore -- Put quite simply, they're not going to spend the rest of the year getting speared over the middle and/or trying not to have their ankles broken by a bunch of short-hoppers from Kyle Boller.
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Hue Jackson -- Not because he gave up two first-rounders for Palmer. That was dumb. But it appears that Jackson's got the trust of everyone in the Raiders organization, since they just let him peddle the future of the franchise (two first-rounders) for a 31-year-old quarterback.
Jordan Palmer -- Guess who will "earn a backup job with the Raiders" come 2012? Yup, Carson's little bro (who, by the way, I loved at UTEP) is a lock to be holding Kyle Boller's clipboard next season.
LOSERS
Jason Campbell -- He's now most likely played his final snap as a Oakland Raider and that means Campbell will be moving on to yet another offensive coordinator on yet another team. Few first-round quarterbacks have gotten as raw a deal as Campbell in terms of how they've been handled; ironically, he only needs to land in Cincinnati to hit the trifecta of dysfunctional franchises.
Oakland's Next General Manager -- The Raiders' first pick will likely be a compensatory pick near the third round in 2012, thanks to letting Nnamdi Asomugha leave for Philly. But their technical first pick right now is a fifth-rounder. Which means that whatever GM steps into fill Al Davis' shoes better really like a) not working in April and b) Carson Palmer.
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Carson Palmer -- Yes, the classic winner and loser move! But hear me out: though Palmer is, as I wrote above, now released, he's also no longer getting to play golf every day and get drunk at USC tailgates on Saturdays. And yeah, he's in a position to make a run at the playoffs, but if he stinks in Oakland, things are going to get awkward for him with the fans and management. There's a lot of pressure.
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San Diego Chargers -- They're currently 4-1 and the rest of the division was about to be starting Matt Cassel, Tim Tebow and Kyle Boller ... respectively. Without the Raiders making a move, the Chargers were going to waltz to a division title. Now they've got some stiffer competition -- if Palmer can get back his old mojo, Oakland could absolutely challenge for the AFC West crown.
Denver Broncos -- What the hell did they want for Orton exactly? You can't call the Raiders and say "give us a fourth-rounder and he's yours?" Wouldn't Oakland have done that in a heartbeat versus the deal they needed to get a 31-year-old Palmer who costs way more and isn't just a one-year rental? Are the Broncos actually going to play Orton? What is going on there? I thought Josh McDaniels left.
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