Quarterback Jordan Palmer, Carson's brother, signed a two-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. Jordan will have the opportunity to earn a spot as Carson's backup on the team. "Someday we'll look back and laugh about it and think it was pretty cool," Jordan told the AP in a phone interview.

Mike Zimmer wasn't the only topic of conversation Wednesday at Paul Brown Stadium. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis also made it clear that the team is not going to trade wide receiver Chad Johnson. Johnson, in a national radio interview Friday, said he felt unappreciated and that no member of the Bengals organization defended him when trade rumors swirled, and he hinted he would welcome a trade if he indeed were a problem. "He didn't say anything different - that he was unduly chastised for being this or that," Lewis said Wednesday. "He's going to go back and be a pro and go forward and play. As I said then, there will be no trade of Chad Johnson. Repeat it again." Asked if he were concerned about Johnson's attitude, Lewis said, "I can't control that. That doesn't mean anything to me right now. He's a special player and he's a Cincinnati Bengal for quite a while."

Falcons' Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer was hired Tuesday for the same role with the Bengals, who have been dragged down by their defense for years. The 51-year-old Zimmer was available because of the Falcons' uncertainty over their next head coach. The Falcons hired Tom Dimitroff as general manager on Sunday and are still looking for a head coach to replace Bobby Petrino, who quit after 13 games.

Chad Johnson stormed the national stage Friday in an attempt to talk his way out of town and off the Cincinnati Bengals' roster. Live from Harrah's resort in Atlantic City, the star wide receiver played the role of victim during an appearance on ESPN's "Mike & Mike in the Morning" radio show. "If I'm a cancer," Johnson said, "then as a team, we need chemo, and the problem needs to get dealt with." Johnson, who signed a $35.5 million extension in April 2006 and is under contract with the Bengals through 2011, didn't demand a trade. But he wouldn't say he'd be returning to Cincinnati for the 2008 season. "I'm not sure what's going to happen," Johnson told hosts Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg. "It's been a very rough year. I've been labeled selfish, the reason we're losing, and that I'm a cancer for our team." "All I do is go out and have fun. I don't get in trouble off the field. I do everything the right way. I might play the game out of the norm a little bit, but to do me the way I was done, with not too many people really having my back within (the Bengals' organization), it was hurtful."

For the first time under Coach Marvin Lewis, the Bengals took a big step backward. Their 7-9 finish was a stark reminder that there are long-standing problems with the franchise that haven't been resolved. Lewis is safe, but change could be coming to the coaching staff. The defense again finished near the bottom of the league, a common occurrence during Lewis' five seasons. The offense went stale, scoring fewer than 20 points in four of the last five games. Asked on Monday whether he thought the current coaching staff could take this team to the next level, quarterback Carson Palmer said, "I don't think so." But Palmer said it's not his call to make. "If I'm asked my opinion, I'll be more than happy to give it," Palmer said, according to the team's Web site. "I haven't been. This isn't my team. I'm the quarterback. If I can help in any way, I'd love to. I think I can be a valuable help, and if a situation comes up, I'll help out."