The Oakland Raiders' potential divorce with Carson Palmer largely has flown under the NFL radar this offseason.
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General manager Reggie McKenzie stated that Terrelle Pryorwill have a chance to compete for the starting job, and the Raidersreportedly are interested in West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith with the No. 3 overall pick in next month's NFL draft.
The team isn't going to pay Palmer's scheduled $13 million salary, which might lead to the quarterback's freedom once he declines a pay cut.
Under that scenario, the Arizona Republic's Kent Somers expects the Cardinals to have interest in signing Palmer. It's a match that some in league circles have been expecting to happen.
New Cardinals coach Bruce Arians has been raving about Drew Stantonas the potential starter while lamenting the lack of a stud quarterback in this year's draft class.
In other words, Arians might be using the classic NFL smokescreen while waiting for Palmer to fall into his lap.
Palmer is known to prefer the West Coast, has demonstrated through his willingness to sit out the 2011 season that money isn't his primary motivation and presumably would enjoy lofting passes to Larry Fitzgerald. Although he's a league-average quarterback at this stage of his career, Palmer would be a massive upgrade on Stanton and Brian Hoyer.
Don't be surprised if Palmer is under center for the Cardinals when training camp opens.
UPDATE: Palmer is "highly unlikely" to restructure his contract, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday. The Raiders' choices are to pay Palmer $13 million next season or release him. A decision might come soon.
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.
