Carson Palmer Extended Through 2014

HOLY CRAP that is a long time!!!
----------------
CINCINNATI (Dec. 29, 2005) -- The Cincinnati Bengals gave quarterback Carson Palmer a six-year contract extension through 2014, aiming to bring long-term success to a franchise finally having its breakthrough season.

Palmer, who won the Heisman Trophy at Southern California in 2003, was under contract through 2008. The extension gives the Bengals more salary-cap flexibility for next season, because his bonuses will be spread out over more years.

It also sends a message that the Bengals are serious about winning for years to come.

"We've knocked down another one of those walls," coach Marvin Lewis said.

The Bengals (11-4) have won the AFC North for their first playoff appearance since 1990. They will finish the regular season Jan. 1 in Kansas City, then will play host to a first-round playoff game.

Palmer and Lewis have been the main factors in Cincinnati's turnaround. The Bengals went 14 seasons without a winning record, one of the longest slumps in NFL history.

In only his second season as a starter, Palmer has broken the franchise mark for touchdowns and made the Pro Bowl. The Bengals are the only team in the NFL to return all 11 offensive starters this season.

Palmer hopes his extension convinces some of his teammates to stay as well. Pro Bowl receiver Chad Johnson has talked about staying in Cincinnati long-term to set records with Palmer.

"The future's very exciting," Palmer said. "The Bengals are doing a phenomenal job of building a team for the future."

Palmer signed with the Bengals two days before the 2003 NFL Draft, a break from the franchise's history of squabbling with top draft picks over money.

 

I don't blame them a damn bit. He might be the second best QB in the league.

Marvin Lewis is a GOD btw. How did this guy sit around waiting for a HC job for so long? We passed him up as well, if I remember correctly.

 

Lewis wasn't considered a "good interview".

Part of being a coach is the song-and-dance portion, the "you have to convince the owner you're going to be a good face of the franchise" part. Lewis was known as gruff, almost aloof at times, which was probably anxiety. The biggest problem was that Billick is known to help guys get their portfolios together, and apparently either he didn't help Lewis, or Lewis didn't care.


And I don't know that Lewis necessarily had in mind a ton of assistants that he wanted to bring along (you can impress the shit out of an owner by stating a two-deep chart of who you feel you can get to staff your team, and it shows you're someone others want to work with). He was a minor figure in Pittsburgh, and his contemporaries in Baltimore had their own success moving on, too.

So either he improved, or the general ineptness of the Brown family paid off in being unable to see the theoretical inadequacies of Lewis v/s a retreaded veteran. Being that he kept on the vast majority of the O staff and portions of the D staff, the part about him being only mildly connected with other coaches in the network might've been valid, but LeBeau had a decent staff himself.

 

You are probably right but it is stupid to me. If a guy can coach and put together a defense as good as the one he had when Baltimore won the superbowl then hire him. I don't see why he needs to have great interview skills and all that.

 

He always seems gregarious enough to the press and public.

I thought he'd be a great coach, I wanted him here. We didn't mess up with Fox, but Lewis has done well.

 

yep. Lewis and Dungy were my two.
Agree, we could've done a lot worse.

 

I wanted Fox at the time but Lewis and Dungy are very good coaches.