"The Raiders are staking this season's playoff chances -- and their future -- on the belief that Carson Palmer is among the elite quarterbacks in the NFL.

"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.

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