Palmer, Bengals Close to a Deal

The Cincinnati Bengals are closing in on a deal with Carson Palmer, even though Coach Marvin Lewis avoided even mentioning the USC quarterback by name Tuesday in a pre-draft news conference.

Palmer’s agent, David Dunn, has been in Cincinnati this week for negotiations with the Bengals, who have the first pick in this weekend’s NFL draft, and Lewis conceded, “We’ve had very productive discussions.”

The Bengals, coming off a 2-14 season, have the luxury of negotiating early because they select first. They had hoped to trade down from that No. 1 position for additional picks but got a lukewarm reception from other teams.

Palmer, the Heisman Trophy winner and leading passer in Pacific 10 Conference history, is widely considered the most talented player available. The Bengals also have taken a long look at Kansas State cornerback Terence Newman and Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich, although it appears both are fallback options if there is a snag in negotiations with Palmer.

The Bengals are particularly skittish about contract problems with their top picks. Two of their last four first-round selections, Akili Smith and Justin Smith, held out of all or part of training camp because of contract disputes. Asked about that history of holdouts, Lewis said: “We’ll displace another myth.”

Since they last made the playoffs after the 1990 season, the Bengals have gone 55-137 and have had a top-five pick in seven of 12 drafts, including this one. They used the No. 1 pick on David Klingler in 1992 and Akili Smith in 1999, and both quarterbacks were busts.

When asked about it recently, Palmer was upbeat about the possibility of starting his career in Cincinnati.

“It doesn’t look bad to me,” he said. “It’s a great place for a quarterback to go, if they need a quarterback. But there has been a lot of negative talk.”