Bengals Hope Palmer Is Real Deal

The Cincinnati Bengals followed through on a promise Thursday, bleeding some of the suspense out of the NFL draft by announcing they struck a deal with USC quarterback Carson Palmer to make him the No. 1 pick.

The mystery now is whether Palmer can revive the Bengals the way he reinvented his own career.

Palmer, who in his final season at USC went from underachiever to Heisman Trophy winner, signed a seven-year deal that includes $14 million in bonuses. If he realizes all the incentives in his contract, he will make $49 million in the first six years.

More important, Palmer said, is he’s headed to a team where he’s wanted and needed.

“It’s definitely a huge honor,” he said of becoming the top pick. “But it was more important for me to be in the right system with the right coaches in the right offense. I’m just happy I’m in a place where they want me and they feel I can be the right quarterback in this situation.”

The Bengals don’t plan to start him right away. Instead, they will rely on Jon Kitna, one of their three starters last season, in hopes that Palmer can gradually learn the offense and adjust to the speed of the pro game.

“I went into SC and didn’t have the chance to learn from anybody,” he said. “I came in as a true freshman and kind of got thrown into the fire early.”

Although Palmer jokingly referred to himself as a “young punk rookie,” the Bengals see him as anything but. They were determined to sign him quickly, seeing as two of their last four first-round picks missed most or all of their rookie training camps. The Bengals have the luxury of cutting a deal with the top pick before the two-day draft, which begins Saturday, because they have the first selection.

Said Coach Marvin Lewis: “We’re excited to have this whole journey over.”

Now the adventure begins. The Bengals have been the league’s worst franchise for more than a decade and have not had a winning season since 1990. They fired Dick LeBeau and hired Lewis after going 2-14 last season, and they’re looking to lose their reputation of ruining young quarterbacks. They traded up in the 1992 draft to grab David Klingler with the sixth pick and used the third pick on quarterback Akili Smith in 1999. Both players held out of training camp as rookies, were forced into action too early and ultimately flopped.

Patience with Palmer will be critical, former Bengal quarterback Jeff Blake said.

“You’ve invested a lot of money in this guy,” said Blake, who now plays for Arizona. “Do you throw him out there and let him ruin his career like David Klingler and Akili Smith? Or, do you shelter him and let him grow and learn for two years, that’s all it’s going to take, and give him the opportunity to be successful?”

It took Palmer four seasons to hit his stride at USC, where he played for two head coaches and three offensive coordinators. After sitting out most of the 1999 season because of a broken collarbone, he had more interceptions (18) than touchdown passes (16) in 2000. He had an up-and-down 2001 season, leading the Trojans to a 6-6 record after a 1-4 start. But last season he threw for 3,639 yards and 32 touchdowns, easily outdistancing a Heisman field to become the first player from a West Coast school to win the award since Marcus Allen in 1981.

Before zeroing in on Palmer, the Bengals took long looks at Michigan State receiver Charles Rogers and Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich. Turns out, those were merely fallback plans in case negotiations with Palmer broke down.

“About three or four days ago, we were pretty sure this was going to happen,” Palmer said.

Agent David Dunn, who spent the week in face-to-face negotiations with team executives, agreed with Palmer’s assertion that a new era of Bengal football has begun.

“There are times in every organization’s life when you hit a crossroads, you hit a key juncture,” Dunn said. “This organization is clearly wandering down a different road than they’ve wandered down before. And it’s nice to be at the beginning of the fork in that road.”

Palmer sounded as if he is ready to begin a new chapter in his life too. He said he will miss his USC teammates but not much else about living in Southern California, even though he grew up here.

“As far as the state of California, I can’t wait to get out of L.A.,” he said during his news conference in Cincinnati, eliciting a chorus of chuckles. “Trying to get somewhere to get something to eat, when the place is five miles away and it takes you 20 minutes to get there, gets real old real fast.”

Time will tell if Palmer ever gets where he wants to go in Cincinnati.

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No. 1 Trojans

USC football players who have been picked first in the draft:

* Tackle Ron Yary, 1967, Minnesota -- Vikings 1968-81, Rams 1982. All-Pro eight times and All-NFC eight seasons in a row in 1970-1977. Played in five NFL/NFC championships and Super Bowls IV, VIII, IX and XI.

* Halfback O.J. Simpson, 1969, Buffalo -- Bills 1969-77, 49ers 1978-79. Rushed for then-record 2,003 yards in 1973. Rushed for 11,236 yards, added 2,142 yards on 203 pass receptions and scored 76 touchdowns. NFL player of the year in 1972, 1973 and 1975. All-AFC and All-Pro five years in a row from 1972 through 1976.

* Receiver Keyshawn Johnson, 1996, New York Jets -- Jets 1996-99, Buccaneers 2000-present; Has 558 receptions for 7,336 yards and 45 touchdowns. Pro Bowl 1998-99. Member of Tampa Bay’s 2003 Super Bowl champions.