NFL roundup: Don Carey extension, Tony Sparano contract & more

The Detroit Lions signed safety Don Carey to a three-year contract extension on Friday. Carey signed a one-year contract after a strong 2012 and continued this strong play through this year. He'll now be locked up through the 2016 season. Carey is worth the extension, but it's surprising to see the Lions making these moves, given the issues they have in regards to salary cap space heading into next year. They'll have plenty of decisions to make this offseasn.

The Oakland Raiders moved to keep offensive line coach Tony Sparano on Friday. There was talk of Sparano potentially leaving to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under new head coach Lovie Smith, but Oakland offered him a two-year contract to remain with the team. There was talk that owner Mark Davis only wanted to offer assistants one-year contracts, but Sparano got the two years.

Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari and New Orleans Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis were both in violation of the NFL's concussion rules during the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs last weekend. It sounds like Bakhtiari went back into the game for an extra point and Lewis stayed on the sidelines. Bakhtiari reportedly pushed through the team's medical staff to get back onto the field. It's unclear if there will be any punishment for the playoffs.

Both the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are searching for a new general manager, and both teams have targeted Tom Gamble. It would be a big signing for either team given that Gamble has been regarded as one of the rising executives in the league for some time now. Gamble joined the Philadelphia Eagles as their vice president of player personnel in 2013 after spending eight seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.

Oakland Raiders left tackle Jared Veldheer is set to hit the open market when the next free agency period begins, but he wants to remain with the Raiders. Veldheer said he wants to stay with the team, though it's unclear if the team will offer him a contract given due to his recent history of injuries. He sat out the first 11 games of the season with a torn triceps, but he did play well when he returned to the lineup. Oakland is going to be careful about contracts going forward given the massive salary dump the team had to initiate over the past couple years.

The Divisional round of the playoffs is set to begin on Saturday, and there's plenty of injury news worth noting. Big-name players such as Ryan Mathews, Pierre Thomas, Carlos Rogers and Wes Welker have all appeared on the injury reports throughout the week. Click the link above for the full roundup on all four games.