Redskins corner back Fred Smoot's "gut feeling" no longer has him optimistic about returning to Washington next year.
"I want to be here bad," Smoot said Thursday. "It's not about me wanting to be here. It's about them wanting me to be here."
Smoot's contract expires at the end of the season. He recently had expressed optimism that he would stay with the Redskins, with ongoing negotiations resulting in a new deal possibly before the final game this weekend.
Asked Thursday if he was still optimistic, Smoot said, "I can't say that I am."
"Just say a gut feeling," he added. Coach Joe Gibbs said he wants Smoot to return, despite the impasse in talks.
"We're going to make every effort we can to sign him," Gibbs said. "We got going hard on it in the middle of the year, and it kind of reached a point there where it was a stalemate, but we're going to do everything we can to try and sign him."
Smoot could become the second high-profile cornerback to leave the Redskins in as many seasons. Perennial Pro Bowler Champ Bailey was traded to Denver in March after failed and often contentious contract negotiations.
Smoot and Bailey remain close friends and talk frequently. Smoot said Bailey has been giving him advice on how to handle contract negotiations and how to play the free agent market if no deal is reached.
"It's never the player," Smoot said. "It's all about the front office — and do they want me here. Champ helped me a lot to get through this year, the mental part of it."
If Smoot doesn't return, his last game with the Redskins was Sunday's 14-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in which he bruised a kidney. He said he won't play Sunday in the season finale against Minnesota.
Entering the season, there were questions as to how Smoot would play without Bailey, who could shut down half of the field. Smoot has answered the critics, with he and fellow cornerback Shawn Springs helping anchor a defense ranked second in the league. Smoot has three interceptions, has forced two fumbles and was selected as a second alternate to the Pro Bowl.
Smoot is in the final days of a modest four-year, $2.6 million contract he signed as a second-round draft pick from Mississippi State in 2001. His agent, James Cook, did not return a call seeking comment.
Smoot is also the team's most vocal presence in the locker room. His remarks Thursday came as he was receiving the team's B.J. Blanchard Good Guy Award for his cooperation and candor with the media, through times both good and bad.
"That's something Deion (Sanders) told me: Don't only talk to them when the sun's shining," Smoot said. "When the sun ain't on you, they can bury you, too, so you've got to be on an even keel. That's what I try to do."
NINERS PUT RATTAY ON IR: Quarterback Tim Rattay was placed on the San Francisco 49ers' injured reserve list Thursday. Rattay never got healthy during his first season as the 49ers' first-stringer, starting just nine games. He strained his forearm in training camp, separated his shoulder in the season opener and tore muscles in his foot earlier this month.
Rattay passed for 2,169 yards, 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while getting sacked 37 times. He underwent surgery Tuesday to relieve stress in his forearm, but is expected to be healthy for minicamps.
Ken Dorsey will make his seventh start of the season Sunday at New England.
Rattay is the 11th player placed on injured reserve by the 49ers, joining five prominent defensive starters: linebackers Julian Peterson and Jamie Winborn, cornerbacks Ahmed Plummer and Mike Rumph, and defensive end Andre Carter.
The 49ers signed defensive lineman Josh Cooper from the practice squad to take Rattay's roster spot. Cooper, an undrafted rookie, could play Sunday after newly signed lineman Corey Smith tore a ligament in his knee before practice Wednesday.
PORTIS SAYS HE PAID: Clinton Portis' agent says the Washington running back has been "more than generous" with former teammate Ifeanyi Ohalete, who claims Portis owes him $20,000 of the $40,000 promised when Ohalete gave Portis his No. 26 jersey.
"We have a position on that that is different from theirs," said Drew Rosenhaus, Portis' agent.
The complaint was filed Wednesday in Maryland District Court in Upper Marlboro.
Portis and Ohalete made the deal following Portis' offseason trade from Denver to Washington. Portis wore No. 26 during his two seasons with the Broncos, but Ohalete already had the number from his three seasons with the team.
The two signed a contract June 4 stipulating that Portis would pay $40,000 for the number, according to Ohalete's attorney, John Steren. Steren said Portis paid $20,000 but did not make two subsequent payments of $10,000 due during the season.
"Clinton has been more than generous with Ifeanyi," Rosenhaus said. He did not elaborate.
KITNA GETS CALL: With Carson Palmer still nursing a left knee injury, Jon Kitna will make his third consecutive start at quarterback for the Bengals on Sunday at Philadelphia. Palmer has been lobbying to return since he left the Dec. 12 game at New England with a sprained left knee ligament, suffered when he was tackled. Palmer will be listed as the No. 2 quarterback in Sunday's season finale and could play if necessary.
ROSENFELS TO START: Third-string quarterback Sage Rosenfels will make his first career start Sunday when the Miami Dolphins face Baltimore, as A.J. Feeley was ruled out because of a rib injury. Dolphins interim coach Jim Bates said Thursday that Feeley is in great pain and his condition has not improved. Rosenfels has played in eight games during three seasons with Miami, completing 4 of 10 passes for one touchdown and no interceptions.