Carson Palmer is trending on Twitter early this Friday, and I didn’t have to read any tweets to know why.
The Cincinnati Bengals are in the national spotlight (Super Bowl LVI), which means legends of the team’s past will emerge from the shadows and make some appearances that bring the vibes and positive energy to the fanbase.
We already got an appearance from Elbert “Ickey” Woods, the great Bengals’ running back of the 19980s. He blessed the stage and awarded Bengals’ owner Mike Brown with the Lamar Hunt Trophy during the AFC Championship celebration, which was preceded by an on-the-field embrace with quarterback Joe Burrow who showed his appreciation by hitting the famous “Ickey Shuffle.”
Underrated moment from post AFC Championship Game was Joe Burrow hitting Ickey Woods with a mini shuffle pic.twitter.com/XsJFd22nM9
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) February 3, 2022
As always, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson steps in and uses his platform to represent the Bengals in a positive light.
Salute to @Real10jayy__ on winning the @pepsi zero sugar rookie of the year award. pic.twitter.com/KDRwij0sQw
— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) February 10, 2022
Even legendary Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason openly embraces the moment and shows his love for the team.
Boomer reppin 💪🏾 on his show this morning! #WhoDey pic.twitter.com/q2Bw2pwdVo
— uknowwhatitis (@yothisisdre) February 11, 2022
But not everyone has that love and appreciation for their former employer. Carson Palmer certainly doesn’t, and he continues to let everyone know about it when given the chance — no matter the situation.
Palmer went on Michael Smith’s and Michael Holly’s Brother From Another to discuss a handful of topics regarding the Bengals, including his relationship (or lack thereof) with the organization, his excitement for the city and the doubts that Joe Burrow should have with the organization going forward.
“I think Joe’s gonna sit back after this game, win or lose, and be like ‘man am I gonna re-sign with this team? Are they willing to do what it takes to continuously build to get back to the next Super Bowl?” – Carson Palmer.
This is what I was referring too…. pic.twitter.com/omuPin9vmK
— Just Eric 💰📈🗣 (@JUSTERIC__) February 11, 2022
With the Super Bowl just days away and Joe Burrow in the second year of his contract, it sure seems like an odd time to be talking about Burrow’s contract extension and future with the team, right?
Palmer’s poor experiences with the Bengals are well-documented and shouldn’t be dismissed. He wanted to see improvements in the scouting department, up-to-date facilities and money spent in free agency. His requests weren’t granted, the Bengals kept losing and the relationship went south, so much so that Palmer requested to be traded. His request was denied and he “retired” in order to get away from Cincinnati.
But, that was nearly 11 years ago. The Bengals have spent in free agency over recent seasons, as seen in their stout defense, and finally, they have a quarterback that is winning playoff games. Perhaps they believe in Burrow enough to give him a say in what the future holds, which evidently wasn’t the case with Palmer.
As for now, we’ll focus on the present and enjoy Super Bowl LVI.
