Bengals owner Mike Brown says he'll never trade him, but there will be a few teams calling and making some pretty strong offers for Palmer. One Bengal told me Brown might be softening to the idea of a trade. The building is split on what to do with Palmer.

If the Palmer situation is a dead end, Orton would be my next stop. This is another trade situation and an aggressive team should be able to get Orton out of Denver, where Tim Tebow is the future. I like Orton in Washington, Minnesota and I even like him more in Arizona than the next guy on my list...

Sounds like the guy with a 3-4 record as a starter and more interceptions than touchdowns is headed for Arizona. It will be interesting to see what the compensation package is and if another team gets into the mix at the last minute. Bottom line: The Eagles are going to get a great deal.

He could be the first QB signed when free agency begins. Hasselbeck is a perfect fit with a club like Tennessee, where there's a rookie QB (Jake Locker) who doesn't need to be rushed onto the field. The Titans are the odds-on favorite, but don't count out a return to Seattle.

McNabb's contract is not going to permit him to stay in Washington, but his release could be held up because of the language in his deal about when a roster bonus is due. As Brad Childress said to me recently, "Donovan will be ready to go this year and has a chip on his shoulder about how things have gone late in his career." McNabb looks like a great fit in Minnesota but would also work in Carolina or Tennessee.

Upside? He is young and wins games. Downside? He has to repair his image and become a student of the game who works at his craft. I would love to see him replace Kevin Kolb in Philadelphia and reinvent his career.

Bulger has received a lot of attention this offseason because he is free and clear to sign. Most see him as a quality backup and a short-term answer if the starter went down. He might be able to win a starting spot in a place like Miami, but he probably will take $3 million to be a backup with a good team.

Grossman might very well be re-signed in Washington and win the starting job. He is seen in a favorable light by Kyle Shanahan, and if Washington doesn't make a deal in free agency, it could be his gig to lose.

Delhomme is due $5.4 million in base salary in Cleveland and should be a cap casualty. His center in Carolina, Ryan Kalil, is campaigning for his return to the Panthers, but it might be more realistic for Delhomme to head to a team like Denver if the Broncos trade Kyle Orton.

Everyone expects Smith to re-sign in San Francisco minutes after free agency starts. It will be interesting to see if his agent fields calls from other teams, which could at least push up the price for his services.