Alex Smith

Quarterback Alex Smith will not start for the 49ers on Monday night against the Bears because he was not given clearance from a neurologist after suffering a concussion last week, according to an ESPN report.

If the report proves true, Colin Kaepernick will make his first start in Smith’s place.

Smith had been practicing last week and reports indicated he was on track to start the game.

The Monday night matchup is a backup showdown, as the Bears already ruled out starting quarterback Jay Cutler last week. Jason Campbell will start in his place.

Jay Cutler

When the Bears and 49ers play Monday night, it might be a matchup of backup quarterbacks as both Bears QB Jay Cutler and 49ers QB Alex Smith deal with post-concussion issues from hits received in their last game.

Cutler missed practice on Thursday and his status remains in question for Monday night’s game. Smith practiced Thursday and looks more likely to start, ESPN’s Ed Werder tweeted.

Jason Campbell would replace Cutler if it turns out he is not ready. Colin Kaepernick would start in place of Smith.

Bears coach Lovie Smith said Cutler continues to improve, but it’s not clear if he’ll be ready to go against the 49ers. Smith added that Cutler could play even if he doesn’t practice.

Meanwhile, the NFL has fined Texans linebacker Tim Dobbins $30,000 for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Cutler during the first half of Sunday night’s game.

Bengals holdout quarterback Carson Palmer is on the cusp of being traded to the Raiders in one of the most high-profile NFL trade deadline deals in recent history, according to a report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen.

The Raiders will reportedly trade two first-round picks for Palmer, who told the Cincinnati front office in January that he wanted to be traded or he would retire. With the impressive play of rookie quarterback Andy Dalton so far this season, the Bengals appear ready to let Palmer go.

For Oakland, the deal would provide a replacement for injured starting quarterback Jason Campbell, who suffered a broken collarbone in the first half of the Raiders’ win over the Browns on Sunday. In the best case scenario, Campbell will miss six weeks.

Palmer has connections to Raiders head coach Hue Jackson, as the two worked together when Jackson was the receivers coach for the Bengals from 2004-06. The former-USC quarterback has been working out in Southern California as he holds out for a trade.

The Raiders would receive a 2012 first round pick and a 2013 conditional first round pick in the reported deal. Both Oakland and Cincinatti are a surprising 4-2 so far this season, making this deal all the more unusual, as both teams could be competing for a wild cart spot come December.

Jason Campbell broke his collarbone Sunday. (AP)

The Raiders received a blow Sunday when quarterback Jason Campbell broke his collarbone in his team’s 24-17 victory over the Browns.

Campbell suffered the injury with about four minutes remaining in the second quarter when he landed hard on his right shoulder after a hit from Chris Gocong and Scott Fujita following a scramble. Campbell had to be helped off the field, and X-rays revealed a broken collarbone.

Raiders coach Hue Jackson acknowledged the team will miss Campbell, but he did not have a time line for a possible return this season. Backup quarterback Kyle Boller replaced Campbell in the game and went 8-for-14 with 100 yards and no touchdowns.

In a way, the timing of Campbell’s injury is fortuitous for the Raiders as it came the day before rookie quarterback Terrelle Pryor was able to be activated. Pryor was serving a five-game suspension to start his career following an NCAA cash-for-memorabilia scandal. With Pryor’s activation, the Raiders now have options at quarterback.

With the NFL owners locking out the players they can not work out at team facilities and also can’t have any contact with their coaches. Former Patriot Richard Seymour is taking matters into his own hands and is getting his Raiders teammates together for four-day workout and will be footing the entire bill.

The four-day work out will be taking place at Competitive Edge Sports in Duluth, GA. Quarterback Jason Campbell will be leading drills for the offense, and Seymour will lead the defense. Seymour sent an email to his teammates letting them know of the workout. The first sentence read, “Men, I hope everyone is well and is staying in shape because we are going to out-work everyone we face this season, and it starts right now in the offseason.”

The Raiders will start quarterback Jason Campbell against the Chargers Sunday due to a potential season-ending injury to Bruce Gradkowski, according to Jason La Canfora of NFL.com. Campbell has started seven games this season after being benched twice in favor of Gradkowski.

According to the Oakland Tribune Tuesday, Gradkowski suffered a third-degree separation of his throwing shoulder Sunday in the Raiders 33-17 loss. He sustained  the same injury in Week 3 after getting hit by Shaun Phillips of the Cardinals. The injury forced Gradkowski to miss the next four games.

Campbell has thrown for 1,322 yards and seven touchdowns this season, while turning the ball over 16 times. He did lead the Raiders to a 35-27 win over the Chargers in Week 5 when he threw for 159 yards and a touchdown.

The Raiders (4-4) and Chiefs (5-2) face off in a suddenly relevant AFC West showdown this Sunday. Oakland Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha is doubtful against the Chiefs with a sprained right ankle. Asmougha has led the Oakland secondary to 5^th in the league against the pass this season. Zach Miller, who leads the Raiders in receiving, is also doubtful with a foot injury. Coach Tom Cable said both players will be game-time decisions.

Brandon Myers would start in place of Miller at tight end. Myers has three receptions for 21 yards on the season, his second year removed from Iowa.

Jason Campbell is also set to start against the Chiefs after going 27-for-47 attempts with four touchdowns in his last two games. The Chiefs have been soft against the pass, ranking 23^rd in the NFL while giving up 236.3 yards passing per game.

Vince Young : (4:15 vs. San Diego)

It looks like Jeff Fisher and the Titans will start Young today after missing last week’s contest with a sprained left knee. Kerry Collins is probable but for now it seems that the veteran QB will return as the No. 2 quarterback for the Titans. The Chargers (2-5) rank first in the NFL in passing defense, allowing only 158.6 yards passing-per-game. Young, 27, has 745 yards passing, seven touchdowns, and only two interceptions on the season for a passer rating of 98.8.

Jason Campbell: (4:15 vs. Seattle)

The Raiders will have Jason Campbell make his third straight start this Sunday against Seattle. Campbell began his streak in place of the injured Bruce Gradkowski who is recovering from a separated right shoulder.

Seattle ranks 29th in the league in passing defense, giving up 261.3 yards-per-game in the air. This could mean many opportunities for the Raiders offense, coming off a big game against Denver. Campbell has thrown for 713 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions while posting a passer rating of 73.1. However, Campbell played well last week, going 12-of-20 attempts for 204 yards and two touchdowns against Denver.

Jason Campbell’s tenure as the Raiders’ starting quarterback didn’t even last two weeks and now that the team has turned to Bruce Gradkowski, he’s not talking about. At the team’s request. Campbell turned down media inquiries, citing the team’s wishes.