Palmer never felt Bengals were 'really trying to win a Super Bowl'

Carson Palmer's tenure with the Cincinnati Bengals wasn't as long or successful as many expected it to be when the franchise drafted him first overall in 2003.

The retired quarterback recently took a dig at the franchise's mentality at the time, explaining that the lack of support on the field was the reason why he "wanted out" of Cincinnati.

"I never felt like the organization was really trying to win a Super Bowl and really chasing a Super Bowl," he told Damon Amendolara on CBS Sports Radio. "That's what today's day and age is. You can't just hope you draft well and not go after free agents and you end up in the Super Bowl. You got to go get it."

The 2002 Heisman Trophy winner played for the Bengals from 2003-2010, amassing 22,694 yards and 154 touchdowns against 100 interceptions in 97 starts (46-51 record). However, he led the AFC North club to just two postseason appearances and didn't win either game.

Palmer said he was determined to go to the Bengals even though he was warned against it.

"As I was interviewing NFL people, I was told time and time again - starting with (former Bengals quarterback) Boomer Esiason the night after I won the Heisman Trophy ... everybody I was talking to along the way (said), 'You can't go to Cincinnati. You got to go somewhere else. You can't play for the Bengals. You can't play for the Bengals,'" Palmer said.

"I, at the time, was going, 'This is awesome.' I was arrogant. I was a young, arrogant kid. 'I'm good enough. I'm going to change the whole thing around. I’m going to change the narrative.' Obviously I wasn't able to change that narrative and flip that."

Prior to the 2011 season, Palmer was traded to the Oakland Raiders, with whom he played two seasons. The signal-caller then suited up for the Arizona Cardinals from 2013-2017, reaching the NFC Championship Game in 2015.