Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer will test his elbow on Dec. 7 against the Colts to help decide whether or not he needs reconstructive surgery. Palmer admitted on Monday that the ligament and tendon in his right elbow are partially torn from the bone.

The Tennessee Titans hope to re-sign both Kerry Collins and Chris Simms who, like Collins, is scheduled to be a free agent after this season, team sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen. At this time, the team has no plans to abandon former top draft choice Vince Young, but his status as a starter depends on Collins' performance the rest of the season, sources told ESPN.

There have been no contract talks on a new contract between the Giants and Brandon Jacobs, but both sides are optimistic they'll come to an agreement before he becomes a free agent in March. RealGM Note: Jacobs is currently ranked 12th amongst all NFL running backs in season FIC despite splitting carries with both Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw. He has a Reina Value of +313% and 'deserves' to have a cap number of $4.55 million. Click here to see the current FIC rankings and Reina Value for other top players of the NFL.

Kurt Warner's agent Mark Bartelstein has called General Manager Rod Graves in recent weeks about negotiating a new contract, but the conversations haven't gone beyond pleasantries. "There's nothing new," Bartelstein said Tuesday. "I wish I could tell you something different." Warner, 37, is in the last season of a three-year deal worth $15 million, not including incentives. The Cardinals and Bartelstein tried to reach an agreement before the season, but Matt Leinart was the starter then and Bartelstein wanted his client compensated fairly should Warner become the starter, and the Cardinals didn't want to overpay for a backup. The cost will be significantly higher for the Cardinals now and Warner could command $8M-$12M annually. RealGM Note: Warner is currently the top ranked season FIC player in the NFL and 'deserves' Peyton Manning's cap hit of $18.7M, giving him a Reina Value of +212%. Click here to see the current FIC rankings and Reina Value for other top players of the NFL.

The Patriots have until Feb. 19 to determine whether to place the franchise tag on Matt Cassel, whose contract expires after the season. That gives them three months from Monday to decide his future with the club. Because the NFLPA won't allow teams to franchise players if they have no intention of keeping them, according to Peter King, the Patriots won't be able to franchise Cassel if they intend to trade him. King expects Cassel to be a free-agent and end up making $9 million a year with Minnesota, Detroit, San Francisco, St. Louis or whatever Josh McDaniels coaches in 2009, should the offensive coordinator get a head-coaching job.

Eagles' running back Brian Westbrook has revealed what many around the NFL believed, that he has been playing hurt in recent weeks. "It's tough to say what your percentage of health is," Westbrook said Monday night. "As a player, you go into every game ready to play, but of course, you're never going to be quite 100 percent during the season. Once you get injured once in the football season, it takes a long time to get completely healthy. For me, I'm still fighting the injury bug, tying to get completely healthy . . . "There's no question I'm not 100 percent. My goal is to be out there and try to help this team. I want to be out there until Coach feels I'm not able to help this team anymore. I think I'm still able to help this team win football games." Westbrook has suffered from rib, ankle, and knee injuries this season.

Niners' GM Scot McCloughan effectively closed the door on Alex Smith's career in San Francisco before the start of the season, but he has backed off those comments as the quarterback position remains unsettled. When asked if Smith were willing to take a dramatic pay cut from his scheduled $9.625 million salary, McCloughan said the discussions would be "wide open, no doubt about it." J.T. O'Sullivan has been replaced by Shaun Hill. "He can't come back for the money he's at. We know that. It's just common sense. It's too bad that he hasn't been able to do it on the field, so we can say, 'Yes, he can,' or 'No, he can't.' It's taken some injuries to knock him out of his play time. The different systems he's been in have held him back, and held the offense back, from being as productive as they can be over a four-year span. I still believe Alex is going to be a good quarterback in this league. "It could be here, certainly."

The Washington Redskins are among the teams free agent cornerback DeAngelo Hall is considering after clearing waivers Thursday, according to his agent, Joe Segal. Four or five teams are believed to be seriously courting Hall, who could make a decision by Saturday. The New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Matt Cassel has played well enough to be in the market for a considerable raise this offseason. ?These players are all human stocks. They go up and down,? an agent said Thursdayy. ?But right now, we?re at the midterm with Cassel. Let?s see what happens down the road. Right now, his stock has definitely risen.? Cassel would command something in the $6 million to $8 million per year range to be a starter next season, according to the agent.