"We're chasing a championship," coach Hue Jackson said with Palmer flanked beside him at an introductory news conference Tuesday afternoon. "I'm very excited about this football team and where it has a chance to go."
Palmer arrived from Cincinnati in exchange for a hefty sum: a first-round draft pick in 2012 and a conditional second-round pick in 2013 that could become a first-rounder.
In the wake of a broken right collarbone suffered by Jason Campbell on Sunday, the Raiders hope Palmer is the man who can steer their ship toward multiple playoff runs.
"I went to bed at 10:30 a retired football player and got a text message at 4 a.m. and was told to get on a plane to Oakland," Palmer said. "So it's been a whirlwind, and I understand what is expected of me. I've played in this league for eight years. I know what it's about. I know what playing quarterback is about, and it's about winning."
Jackson called it "the greatest trade in football," and he'll get no argument from Raiders fans provided Palmer is the player he was from 2005 through 2007 rather than the one whose performance level appeared to slip during the past two seasons in Cincinnati.
"This isn't about numbers," Jackson said. "This is about the person because I know his heart. I know his passion. I know his
dedication to the game. What's gone on for Carson at Cincinnati is over. The time is now and that's what I'm going to worry about."
Jackson wouldn't say if Palmer would start Sunday against Kansas City, preferring to see him in practice before making that decision. Palmer said he would be ready when called upon.
Palmer declined to get into specifics about his departure from Cincinnati, where he walked out on a contract that was to pay him $11.5 million this season, saying it was "time for me to move on, it was time for them to move on, and I'm thankful they got this trade done."
Cincinnati team president Mike Brown had insisted he wouldn't trade Palmer, but the value of compensation (the 2013 pick becomes a first-rounder if the Raiders advance to the AFC title game this year or next), as well as Palmer's relationship with Jackson helped forge a trade.
Jackson said he never hesitated at the thought of parting with the draft picks and taking the proposal to Mark Davis, the son of late Raiders owner Al Davis, and CEO Amy Trask, because of his background with Palmer.
Palmer attended USC in part because of the recruiting pitch of Jackson, who was his quarterbacks coach. In Cincinnati, Jackson coached wide receivers from 2004-06.
There's no question you go on offense as good as your quarterback is. I think he's one of the best and that's why he's on this football team now. I didn't bring him here because he was just a guy sitting out there. I brought him here because I think he can help this team win a championship."
The Bengals had been adamant about not trading Palmer, who wanted to be dealt from a team that has had only two winning records in the past 20 years.
Owner Mike Brown repeatedly insisted he wouldn't consider Palmer's request for a trade because he didn't want to reward him for holding out. He changed his mind after getting the big offer from the Raiders.
Brown said the play of rookie quarterback Andy Dalton made it easier to trade Palmer.
"We also find ourselves rather suddenly in position of being able to receive real value for Carson that can measurably improve our team, which is performing well and is showing real promise for this year and years to come," he said in a statement.
"When this opportunity arose, we felt we could not let it pass and needed to take a step forward with the football team if we could."
The Raiders (4-2) became desperate for a quarterback after Campbell broke his collarbone during a win over the Browns on Sunday.
He came back and had two solid seasons before partially tearing a ligament and tendon in his passing elbow during the 2008 season.
He has not been an elite quarterback since, despite getting back to the playoffs in 2009. Palmer said he is completely healthy now.
Over the past two years, Palmer completed 61.2 percent of his passes for 7,064 yards, 47 touchdowns, 33 interceptions and a passer rating of 82.9 while posting a 14-18 record.
Those numbers are comparable to what Campbell has done since the start of the 2009 season.
But the Raiders were not willing to trust their playoff chances with Boller, who had not started a game since 2009 and had lost his previous 10 starts since October 2007, or Pryor, a project who will need time before he can be an NFL quarterback.
This is the second trade the Raiders have made since Davis' death. They dealt last week for former No. 4 overall pick in 2009, linebacker Aaron Curry from Seattle.
The trade leaves the Raiders with picks only in the fifth and sixth rounds in next year's draft. They traded their second-rounder during April's draft to New England for the picks to draft offensive lineman Joe Barksdale and running back Taiwan Jones.
They used their third-rounder to take Pryor in the supplemental draft in August. They traded their fourth-rounder in 2010 to get Campbell and the seventh-rounder for Curry.
"I know a lot of people think we've mortgaged the future of the organization," Jackson said. "I don't see it that way. I mean, I don't think you ever mortgage the future of an organization when you're putting a real big-time franchise quarterback on your team."
Oakland is expecting to get compensatory picks after losing Nnamdi Asomugha, Zach Miller, Robert Gallery, Thomas Howard and Bruce Gradkowski in free agency.
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