The Bengals owner doesn't want to trade and Chad Ochocinco doesn't think he is going anywhere, but Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer seems to be putting a lot more stock in what his head coach has to say.
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said Tuesday that he doesn't believe his franchise quarterback will return to the team next season -- if there is a next season. Lewis says that's at least how he has to operate this off season.
Palmer, who has demanded a trade from the Bengals or threatened to retire, reportedly is eating up those words and telling confidants that he "will never set foot in Paul Brown Stadium again."
That could be a problem for San Francisco 49ers' fans hoping that Palmer could land in their lap once the league and its players sign a new collective bargaining agreement.
Palmer has been linked to San Francisco because his wife is from the Bay Area and he went to school at USC.
The quarterback has shown how serious he is by putting his Cincinnati home up for sale and threatening to retire if he does not get traded. Tuesday he reportedly told his friend that he doesn't need to play football for money anymore.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Palmer said he has "$80 million in the bank."
I'll play it for the love of the game, but that would have to be elsewhere," Palmer is alleged to have said.
Several pundits have linked Palmer to the 49ers, including ESPN's Chris Mortensen.
But the 49ers cannot make a move until NFL owners and its players reach a new collective bargaining agreement, which is expected to expire Wednesday.
Without a new agreement, owners would most likely lockout the players, which would freeze any free agency or trades until a new deal is struck.
The problem is if Palmer is dead set on never stepping into the Bengals' stadium again, the 49ers would not be a viable option for him.
One of the 49ers 2011 road games is scheduled to be played in Cincinnati.
