Darrius Heyward-Bey was quick to introduce himself to new Oakland Raiders teammate Carson Palmer and also was among a handful of wide receivers who joined their new quarterback for additional throwing following his first practice this week.
Call it an investment in the future -- for the Raiders, Palmer and Heyward-Bey.
With Jason Campbell possibly done for the season because of a fractured collarbone, Heyward-Bey is trying to get comfortable with the player many expect to take over as Oakland's starter.
That could take some time, considering Palmer hasn't played in a game since the end of last season and was sitting at home unofficially retired when he was traded to the Raiders by the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday.
Heyward-Bey, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2009 draft, is trying to expedite the process.
"It was very important," Heyward-Bey said Thursday. "He wants to throw, we need to throw, we need to get the chemistry going so we stayed after. We stayed after with Jason, we stayed after with Kyle (Boller), so we stayed after with Carson just to get better."
Two days after acquiring Palmer from the Bengals in exchange for a 2012 first-round pick and a 2013 second-rounder that could become another first, Raiders coach Hue Jackson continued to deflect questions about who his starter will be in Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Palmer, Boller and Terrelle Pryor continued to share reps in practice, though in all likelihood, the decision will come down to Boller or Palmer.
"I ain't telling anybody anything, so you guys can all stop (asking) now," Jackson said when asked who's starting. "Everybody's an option. I mean, I could use Jacoby Ford back there if I had to. We have all kinds of different packages we could use. Anything and everything is up and available right now."
NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora cited team sources in reporting Wednesday that the Raiders plan to start Palmer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.