When Raiders running back Darren McFadden suffered a sprained ankle on November 4 against the Buccaneers, the Raiders were tight lipped regarding the anticipated duration of his absence. Jay Glazer of FOX reports that the Raiders expected McFadden to miss 2-4 weeks.
As our friends at Rotoworld point out, this possibly means that the Raiders were less than truthful when they waited until Friday to scratch McFadden from the Week 10 game against the Ravens. (Then again, the subterfuge didn’t help much.)
Officially, McFadden didn’t practice on Wednesday. (The official report sent out by the league inadvertently omits McFadden; the injury report on the team’s website includes him.) Don’t be surprised if he misses Sunday’s game against the Saints.
And don’t be surprised if he ends up on the open market in 2013 without a major contract. Often injured, McFadden maxed out with 1,157 rushing yards in 2010. Though he’ll get a chance somewhere (and maybe in Oakland), he likely won’t get the kind of money that he wants.
Then again, who ever does?
UPDATE 9:50 p.m. ET: McFadden’s original rookie deal goes through 2013. There’s a chance the final year is voidable. We’re checking.