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Last year, Carson Palmer had a lot on his shoulders—both mentally and physically.

After an ugly exit from Cincinnati, the former USC quarterback nearly opted for retirement. Oakland jumped at the opportunity and grabbed a quarterback who had fallen on the short end of some horrendous injuries.

Although his first couple games in the silver and black were far from perfect, Carson Palmer steadily improved over the course of the season.

A full offseason under his belt will give Palmer the opportunity to understand the intricacies of the Raiders' playbook (which will likely be remodeled under new head coach Dennis Allen) and get re-acclimated with the football environment.

He is an ultra-competitive player who will take advantage of the host of receiving weapons in his hands.

Why take the ball out of his hands?