Cardinals reportedly won't overpay for Carson Palmer

The Arizona Cardinals have some interest in Carson Palmer, but they're not about to repeat the ill-fated decisions that led to landing Kevin Kolb two offseasons ago.
the Cardinals will deal for Palmer "only if it doesn't cost them much," according to sources. The Cardinals are looking to swap late-round draft picks with the Oakland Raiders, "possibly conditional on how, or if, Palmer plays," Somers noted.

That lines up with what NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported Friday, saying the Cardinals are "doing their homework" on Palmer. Cardinals coach Bruce Arians likes Palmer's ability to get the ball downfield, but only if he's willing to play for drastically less than his unwieldy $13 million salary for 2013.

Rapoport noted Friday that Palmer also has generated interest from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while USA Today reported the 33-year-old passer might be willing to bypass a starting role to play behind Colin Kaepernick with the San Francisco 49ers.
We're a few steps away from any of this becoming reality. The Raiders currently are trying to seal up a trade with the Seattle Seahawks for Matt Flynn, but that crossed into Saturday in a holding pattern.

Somers believes that losing Palmer to another suitor "probably wouldn't break the Cardinals' hearts," because he's not the long-term answer for the Cardinals -- or any NFL team.

The Cardinals parted with cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, a second-round draft pick and ultimately $20.5 million to secure Kolb in 2011. Any trade for Palmer will come with a lower cost -- and a lot less fanfare.