AP

We haven’t heard anything new on the Carson Palmer quasi-retirement front in a while, which is remarkable considering how ridiculous the entire story is.

Well, we have an interesting development. ESPN’s Bob Holtzman reports that Palmer met with owner Mike Brown in late July.

The Bengals believe it’s possible Palmer may report to the team next week. That would force the Bengals to trade, release, or play Palmer. They could also keep him as an $11.5 million backup.

Brown said that he wouldn’t trade Palmer, but the 31-year-old quarterback could force the issue by showing up. It’s hard to imagine the Bengals benching rookie Andy Dalton at this point.

It’s also hard to believe a well-paid player like Palmer would so willingly give up on playing football for a season.