I'm not even sure what this is, other than speculation based on the fact that Carson Palmer has yet to officially send in his retirement papers. And because Palmer hasn't officially retired, trade rumors have popped back up, with the Seattle Seahawks at the forefront again. Is there anything to it? Nobody knows, but Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio is ready to speculate.
Here's what Florio had to say on 710 ESPN this morning.
"I think he specifically hasn't retired because he wants to retain the ability to show up out of the blue next week," Florio told "Brock & Salk" on Monday. "And if he shows up out of the blue next week -- Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday -- the Bengals have to decide pretty quickly to keep him and pay him what will become, as of Week 1, a guaranteed salary of $11.5 million, or get rid of him.
As of last week, the Cincinnati Bengals had plenty of room to pay Palmer. But as we know, Bengals' owner Mike Brown has shown no willingness to deal with Palmer, or to deal him to another team. If Palmer does miraculously become available -- which, again, is a long-shot at this point -- the Seahawks would have to be in the discussion.
In the end, though, it's all speculation and nobody knows what's going on. Palmer could show up this week and force the Bengals' hand, but there's been no indication he's willing to head back to Cincinnati. And thus, the stalemate.
We'll be back with more on the Seahawks trade rumors in this StoryStream. For even more Seahawks news and notes, head over to Field Gulls.