NFL Ref Injured Slipping on Field, Latest on Larry Smith After Being Carted Off from Texans-Jaguars

NFL referee Larry Smith was carted off the field during Sunday's game between the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Smith fell backwards as he tried catching the game ball from the sideline between plays. He was unable to put much weight on his left leg:

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio noted last year, when referee Adrian Hill exited mid-game, the NFL doesn't have much of a contingency plan in the event an official goes down. The rest of the crew is expected to pick up the slack rather than have a standby replacement at the ready.

According to Football Zebras, the league assigned Smith to Shawn Hochuli's crew as the umpire prior to the start of the 2026 season. This is just his second year as an NFL referee. He previously worked games in the Big Ten and UFL.

Given what appeared to be the severity of the injury, the NFL will need to find a substitute for Smith in Week 7, and his availability for the rest of the season could be in doubt.