Which absolutely pitiful NFL franchise would you want to come back and coach next year? Cincinnati Bengals The upside is that Carson Palmer once had the potential to be one of the greatest quarterbacks ever. The sheer awfulness of that team might have totally ruined him, though. TJ Houshmandzadeh is a good player and it seems to me a Cowher-type guy. Guaranteed a top-five draft pick. The downside is that with the exception of Keith Rivers and Leon Hall, the defense has to be rebuilt from scratch. Also, Cincy botched what would have been a terrific trade by holding on to a washed up Chad Johnson. They'd be lucky to get a conditional 4th rounder for him now. The O-Line is swiss cheese, there is no running back and the team is stocked with criminals. Judging by how the organization has screwed Marvin Lewis, Cowher would probably have no say in personnel decisions. Cleveland Browns The upside is that this team seems like a it's a few players away from contention. Solid O-line, star wide receiver, and a young quarterback to develop ala Big Ben. With Savage and Crennel likely taking a hike together, Cowher would possibly get full personnel control. He could ship Winslow and Anderson and pick up whoever he wanted. Downside is, he's working with Romeo Crennel's players. Who LOVE Romeo Crennel. I'm not saying they wouldn't respect Cowher, but transitions are difficult. Cowher loves running the ball, something he won't be able to do for too long with Jamal Lewis. And if Quinn busts, Cowher does as well. Detroit Lions Upside? Ha, ha, ha. But seriously, there is significant upside to this scenario. He'd probably get some significant control over personnel decisions now that Millen is gone. He's GUARANTEED the first pick of the draft (for a QB) another first rounder from Williams (for a left tackle) and a slew of other picks to overhaul the defense. Kevin Smith looks like a good player on a shitty team. Calvin Johnson looks like that beast kid who had to play on the Li'l Giants. Downside? Come on.
Need a 4th option: Stay Retired. Wait for ideal situation. Which is exactly what he will do. He is not going to tarnish his reputation and return after an ideal ending to coach a team with little to no chance of a ressurection.
Carson Palmer hasn't been the same since the knee injury in the playoffs a few years back. I doubt at this point he ever returns to form.
watching the pregame show the last few weeks i think he really wishes he was coaching the jets this year. that being said i dont think he would take any of those jobs. he isn't gonna come into a mess he is going to want to take over a team that is on its way and needs a few final pieces and some good coaching.
If he was going to come back with one of those three it'd be the Browns, but as others have pointed out all of the choices are kill me now or kill me later propositions. He'll wait until Carolina comes open in a few years and try there. Or maybe Philadelphia next season.
the real issue for him seems to be running game and pass protection, both are really inconsistant that team is a mess in general, i still think palmer can be an elite QB hard to stay healthy when you get hammered by the defense everytime you're in there, of coarse if he needs surgery on his elbow he'll still be a way off ... i believe delhomme had the same surgery last year and he seems to be doing ok
I know this will remind everyone of what happens whenever there is a new free agent, but . . . DC next season.
Cleveland would actually be a good place for him. That team has just underperformed this season. They are really talented.
If I were Cowher, I'd take the Detroit job. With Millen gone you could negotiate a contract to be GM + HC. That gives you total control over personnel. You've got a great draft coming with the top pick and an extra 1st. And the team has nowhere to go but up. If everything goes wrong you can just say "the job was an impossible task". And if you win, you're a god. It's a "can't lose" situation. Plus they'd pay you the stars and the moon to take the job. Also I'd want to avoid the AFC. It would be too weird playing Pittsburgh twice a year.
Palmer threw 28 TDs the next season. The Bengals running game, WRs, and O-line have all fallen off...that has more to do with Palmer's struggles than his past injury IMO.
