Bengals owner Mike Brown wanted to draft Ryan Mallett instead of Andy Dalton, according to a report by ESPN's Adam Schefter. Schefter says that Cincinnati offensive coordinator Jay Gruden was "instrumental" in selling Brown on Dalton. Dalton has led the Bengals to a winning record, while Mallett is a reserve with the Patriots.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis believes that Carson Palmer quit on the team long before last season ended. Palmer, who was traded to the Raiders last week, refused to play for the team this season. "At what point did Carson quit? At some point last year he decided he didn't want to be here," Lewis said. "This didn't happen at the end of the season. There was a point earlier on when he said, 'This isn't the place for me.'" When Palmer demanded to be traded or released during the offseason and insisted he'd retire than remain with the Bengals, it only confirmed to Lewis that the team needed to move on.

Carson Palmer restructured his contract and took a $5M pay cut this season, according to an NFLPA source. Under his old contract, Palmer was set to make $11.5M this season. Prorated over the final 11 games, he would have made $7.44M. The Raiders now will pay him $2.5M for the remainder of this season.

The Raiders are hoping Carson Palmer will do big things for them, having given up a 2012 first-round pick and a 2013 conditional second-rounder for the quarterback. Oakland coach Hue Jackson believes Palmer is the ideal fit, having recruited and coached him at USC and been an assistant in Cincinnati. "This isn't about the numbers. This is about the person," Jackson said. "I know his heart, I know his passion, I know his dedication to the game. ... I'm not concerned about Carson's past. I never would be. That doesn't even enter my mind, because I know, with me and him and the rest of this staff and football team, where we're going to go. And that's the most important thing." The Raiders (4-2) became desperate for a quarterback when Jason Campbell went down with a collarbone injury in Sunday's win over the Browns. "I know a lot of people think we've mortgaged the future of the organization," Jackson said. "I don't see it that way. I mean, I don't think you ever mortgage the future of an organization when you're putting a real big-time franchise quarterback on your team."

Some are questioning whether ESPN Insider Adam Schefter knew more than he reported regarding talks between the Raiders and Bengals for Carson Palmer and that he withheld information in order to help get the deal done. A high school friend and business partner of Carson Palmer's posted on Twitter early Tuesday that Schefter knew the trade was happening Monday night, and that he stayed silent "to protect [Palmer] and the deal." ESPN gave the theory credence by issuing a statement denying that the network squatted on the story. "We were pursing the story aggressively yet felt there wasn't enough confirmed information as of last night to report it," the statement said. "The suggestion that it wasn't reported to protect anyone involved, including Carson Palmer, is simply wrong."

If the Raiders were not able to acquire Carson Palmer from the Bengals, they would have turned their full attention towards Philadelphia's Vince Young.

The league has informed Bengals running back Cedric Benson that his three-game suspension has been reduced to a one-game penalty without pay, according to a source. Benson has played this season pending the appeal of the suspension. With the Bengals heading into their bye, Benson would miss their Oct. 30 game in Seattle.

The Raiders have acquired holdout quarterback Carson Palmer from the Bengals. According to reports, Cincinnati will receive a first-round pick in 2012 and a second-round pick in 2013.

With the trade deadline looming on Tuesday afternoon, the Bengals are denying trade rumors involving veteran quarterback Carson Palmer. On NFL Network, coach Marvin Lewis was asked if there was any chance the Bengals would trade Palmer to the Raiders, who are now in need of a quarterback. His response was the same it has been since February -- Palmer has retired and the team has moved on. "I think our organization is very firm in the statement that Carson is, as everybody knows here, retired," Lewis said. "We have moved on and that's enough to be said because we don't need to make anymore headlines for any reason other than what we do on Sundays. That's the only thing that counts."

The Raiders have approached the Bengals about veteran quarterback Carson Palmer, according to a source. Oakland lost starting quarterback Jason Campbell to a broken collarbone during their 24-17 victory over the Browns on Sunday and he'll like miss the remainder of the regular season. Bengals owner Mike Brown has been uninterested in trading Palmer, who said before the season that he would retire if Cincinnati didn't trade him and so far has been true to his word.