From the Sacramento Bee

By Joe Davidson

Ken O’Brien wasn’t just on the Carson Palmer bandwagon – he was steering it.

O’Brien, the former Jesuit High School [class of 1978] and UC Davis quarterback who had two Pro Bowl seasons with the New York Jets, worked out Palmer in recent months to keep the “retired” quarterback’s joints from rusting.

After learning of Palmer’s acquisition by the Raiders, O’Brien beamed and said he backed Raiders coach Hue Jackson’s claim that Oakland had pulled off “the greatest trade in football.”

“The Raiders are going to love Carson,” O’Brien said by phone. “Working him out, he looked great. He got beat up a little in Cincinnati, and it takes time to heal, and he’s healthy now. It’s a bold move, the greatest trade I’ve seen. To get a quarterback of that caliber is really something.”

O’Brien’s relationship with Palmer dates to their USC days. During Palmer’s first two seasons at USC (1998-99), O’Brien coached the quarterbacks. They remained close through the years, with O’Brien saying Palmer “is like family.”