With the 4th pick in the 2011 draft, the Bengals took WR A. J. Green from Georgia. Most of the off-season was marred by a league lockout and Carson Palmer's sudden demand to be traded to another team. Mike Brown flatly refused to either release or trade him, and Palmer instead announced his plans to retire from the NFL. Another familiar face departed when Chad Ochocinco was traded to New England in August. With this, the Bengals decided to name unproven rookie QB Andy Dalton as their starter. On October 17, Palmer, who had been holding out since Brown announced he refused to trade him, was traded to the Oakland Raiders for 2 first round picks in 2012 and 2013. The Bengals finished with a record of 9-7 and qualified for the playoffs as the 6th seed in the AFC. They lost 31–10 to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round.