The Texans have signed head coach Gary Kubiak to a new three-year contract extension that runs through 2012. Kubiak actually turned down a fourth year because he wanted to be “on the same path” as his assistants, whose contracts expire in 2012. Though he’s yet to turn the Texans into a serious contender, Kubiak (31-33 in four years) has them headed in the right direction for the first time in franchise history. He’s rewarded for being in Wild Card contention until the final day of the season and the team seems likely to finally break through in 2010.

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Houston: Texans coach Gary Kubiak revealed in an interview with The Score 1510 in Denver that Steve Slaton underwent surgery to repair nerve damage in his neck in mid-January. Kubiak believes the nerve issue may have been at the root of Slaton’s fumbling problems last season. Beat writer John McClain has reported that the injury is not career-threatening and Slaton is expected to eventually get back to 100 percent. The surgery, however, makes it even less likely that he’ll be counted on for the featured back role in 2010. The Houston Texans are expected to draft a running back in this years draft.

Cincinnati: Bengals SLB Rey Maualuga pleaded guilty to a drunk driving charge Tuesday. Maualuga hit two parked cars and a parking meter early Friday morning before he was arrested. He was sentenced to seven days in jail, fined $350 and had his driver’s license suspended for 90-days. He’s now on two years probation. Maualuga apologized for the incident and said he “will learn from this and it won’t happen again.” Per league policy, he’s a candidate for a short suspension in 2010.

New York: After receiving 2-3 opinions, Mark Sanchez has opted to have surgery on his left knee. The surgery will involve stabilization of the patella tendon that Sanchez injured at USC. He’ll have the operation in 2-3 weeks. The procedure is said to be arthroscopic, meaning Sanchez should be 100% no longer than two months after it. He’ll miss some spring workouts, but won’t be limited in training camp.

New England: Wes Welker underwent reconstructive surgery to repair the ACL in his left knee Tuesday, as expected. Welker had to wait until the torn MCL was healed before he went under the knife. The surgery was 30 days from the original injury. Welker is aiming for a Week 1 return, which is highly optimistic. It’s doubtful that he’ll be close to 100 percent until mid-season.

Arizona: Arizona Cardinals GM Rod Graves has seconded coach Ken Whisenhunt’s confidence in Matt Leinart as the team’s starting quarterback. “I think he’s going to answer a lot of questions,” said Graves. While both men insist they’re “excited” about Leinart taking over, Kurt Warner revealed Tuesday that he was offered the opportunity to skip offseason practices and part of training camp as an enticement to return for one more season.

Cardinals QB Kurt Warner announced his retirement from football Friday, as expected. Warner’s career will go down as one of the most unique in NFL history. He famously went from stocking shelves at a grocery story while playing in the Arena league to becoming one of only two quarterbacks in history to lead two different franchises to the Super Bowl.

The two-time NFL MVP escaped a five-year drought in the middle of his career to own the three highest single-game passing totals in Super Bowl history. Though it may not be on the first ballot, the 12-year veteran is expected to eventually be voted into the hall of fame.

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Arizona: SI.com’s Don Banks expects the Arizona Cardinals to lean more heavily on Beanie Wells following Kurt Warner’s retirement. Coach Ken Whisenhunt comes from a run-first background and is likely to install a more balanced offense with Matt Leinart at quarterback. Wells never did overtake Tim Hightower to be Arizona’s starter in 2009, but he was the clear feature back during the stretch run. Expect Wells to get in excess of 250 carries next season.

Chicago: The Bears have interviewed Mike Martz for the their vacant offensive coordinator job on Friday. Martz was ready to move on earlier in the week, but the Chicago Bears are getting desperate. The choice could come down to Martz or Vikings QBs coach Kevin Rogers. Though Martz had harsh criticism for Jay Cutler during the season, he does have a history with coach Lovie Smith.

Philedelphia: DeSean Jackson’s agent plans to approach the Eagles for a new four- or five-year contract for his client, according to Comcast SportsNet in Philadelphia. The writing has been on the wall since Jackson switched to Drew Rosenhaus during the season. Jackson is still working under his slotted second-round contract, which has two years remaining at a combined $1.025M with roughly $800,000 in bonuses. The team’s most dangerous weapon on offense and in the return game is deserving of a raise, and the team will likely attempt to lock him up long-term.

Cincinnati: Cincinnati Bengals SLB Rey Maualuga was arrested Friday morning in Northern Kentucky for DUI and careless driving. Maualuga reportedly had a blood-alcohol level of .157, which is far above the .08 legal limit. He’s scheduled for a video arraignment in Kenton County District Court Friday afternoon.

New York: Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum was noncommittal on Thomas Jones’ future Thursday. Tannenbaum said the team “hopes to have him back,” but he also pointed to economic factors that could play into the decision. Jones is due a $2.8M roster bonus in March in addition to a $2.8M salary. The five straight seasons of 290+ carries appeared to finally catch up to him in the playoffs, which likely has the New York Jets re-thinking their backfield plans for 2010.

The Cardinals are still alive for the No. 2 seed in the NFC following Chicago’s Monday night upset of Minnesota and most likely will decide to play all starters in Week 17 after all.

While it’s still a long shot for coach Ken Whisenhunt’s team, the Cards now have something to play for. In addition to beating the Pack, the Cards need the Vikings to lose at home to the Giants in Week 17 and the Dallas Cowboys to beat the Eagles. They’ll know which approach to take early, as the Vikings play at 1ET and Arizona hosts Green Bay at 4:15ET.

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Philadelphia Eagles: DeSean Jackson is believed to be the first player in NFL history selected for the Pro Bowl as both a position player and a kick returner. Miles Austin and Sidney Rice are the reserve receivers in the NFC, with Jackson and Larry Fitzgerald as the starters. Percy Harvin had a very strong argument as the kick returner, but it’s hard to quibble with the most explosive player in football this season.

Carolina: Panthers DE Julius Peppers has been elected to the NFC Pro Bowl for the fifth time in his career.
Peppers will earn a $1.5 million bonus, bringing his 2009 salary to $18.2 million. The Carolina Panthers defense has been on fire over the past six weeks, with Peppers leading the way. He’s up to 10.5 sacks on the season, with five forced fumbles.

Minnesota: Vikings CB Antoine Winfield admitted that he suffered a setback with his foot injury against the Bengals in Week 14. Winfield has been really bad in two straight games and it culminated with Devin Aromashodu burning him for the game-winning touchdown on Monday Night Football. Winfield clearly isn’t 100 percent. The Minnesota Vikings should consider shutting him back down until the playoffs.

Oakland: Raiders QB Charlie Frye will start for the Raiders against the Ravens Sunday. As expected, Frye gets the nod over J.P Losman and JaMarcus Russell. He threw for 333 yards last week, but was picked off three times and the Raiders didn’t score any touchdowns. Frye is not a long-term solution for the Raiders.

Oakland: RB Justin Fargas had his knee drained on Monday and is now questionable for week 17 against the Ravens.

Indianapolis: Colts WR Pierre Garcon has been ruled out for week 17 with a hand injury. Expect Hank Baskett to fill in for him.

Cincinnati: Bengals coach Marvin Lewis has said that the results of the early games could have an impact on how much time the starts play on Sunday night. The Bengals would have a shot at the 3 seed if the Patriots lose to the Texans.

Kansas City: The Kansas City Chiefs have made it a goal to get RB Jamaal Charles to 1,000 rushing yards. He will need 139 to do it, so expect him to see alot of carries early and often. Since Larry Johnson was released, only Chris Johnson has more rushing yards.

Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt assured reporters Monday that Kurt Warner’s hip injury “probably won’t be an issue” going forward. The injury, which is not to the hip Warner had surgically repaired in the offseason, is being called a “hip pointer.” Warner, 38, was reportedly seen “moving around well” on Monday. Expect these type of injuries throughout the rest of his career due to his age.

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Houston Texans: QB Matt Schaub’s dislocated shoulder is to the same arm that required surgery in 2007. “Same arm, same injury,” Schaub said. “Dislocated in the same spot. I don’t think it’s quite as severe as the one that happened two years ago.” He is not expected to miss any game time with the injury.

Minnesota: Vikings coach Brad Childress says linebacker E.J. Henderson is in “good spirits” after having surgery on his broken left leg. Henderson stayed in intensive care at a Phoenix-area hospital while the rest of his teammates went home Sunday night after a 30-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

St. Louis: Rams FS O.J. Atogwe may miss the rest of 2009 after suffering a serious shoulder injury in Sunday’s loss to Chicago. Atogwe, the Rams’ franchise player, has two options. He could finish out the year in a shoulder harness — essentially playing with one arm — or shut it down and get surgery out of the way early.

Eagles coach Andy Reid said at his Monday press conference that there’s a “chance” Brian Westbrook (concussion) could practice in Week 14. Beat writer Brian Seltzer confirms that Westbrook is still very unlikely to play, but practicing would increase the 30-year-old tailback’s odds of returning sooner rather than later. Even if Westbrook was able to return to action, it should be a running back by committee for the rest of the season.

Pittsburg: Pittsburg Steelers coach Mike Tomlin revealed Monday that Hines Ward tweaked his hamstring in Sunday’s loss to Oakland, and deemed Ward “very questionable” to face the Browns on Thursday night.

College Prospects: Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen will enter the 2010 NFL Draft. He’ll be accompanied by Irish WR Golden Tate. With Charlie Weis gone and both players having good shots to be picked in round one, there was little chance either would return for their senior seasons. According to an ESPN source, several GMs believe Clausen is “the most NFL-ready quarterback in this year’s draft,” after playing in Weis’ pro-style offense. Clausen doesn’t have Jake Locker’s arm or athleticism, but would be a terrific fit for a West Coast system because of his accuracy. St. Louis, Seattle, Washington, Denver, and Cleveland all fit the profile of teams that should have interest this April.

Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin (ankle) sat out practice Wednesday and coach Ken Whisenhunt indicated afterwards that Boldin will probably will miss Week 9. “We’ll do what it is the best interest of the team,” Whisenhunt said. At this point, sitting Boldin and giving him the chance to get healthy is the best bet.

Elsewhere around the NFL:

Indianapolis: Colts RB Donald Brown was not on the Indianapolis Colts’ first injury report of the week Wednesday. Colts GM Bill Polian previously indicated that Brown’s shoulder strain could cost him 2-3 games. Look for Brown to be added to the injury report later this week.

Miami: Rookie QB Pat White has played just 13 snaps all season long. “At the beginning of the summer thought I might have a little different use for him, a little more,” coach Tony Sparano said. He’s still the No. 2 QB ahead of Tyler Thigpen.

Detroit: Lions RB Kevin Smith did not practice on Wednesday because of a shoulder injury. His status against the Seattle Seahawks is unknown at this point, although beat writer Tom Kowalski does not believe this is a serious injury.

Detroit: Lions QB Matthew Stafford (knee) was limited in Lions practice Wednesday. Stafford may be limited all week and listed as “questionable” on the Week 9 injury report, but doesn’t appear to be in any danger of missing the game.

Cleveland: Browns coach Eric Mangini says he’ll name a starting quarterback for Week 10 the Monday after Cleveland’s Browns Week 9 bye. The starter will most likely be Anderson.

Dallas: Cowboys coach Wade Phillips observed “a little more juice” from Marion Barber’s running on the practice field Wednesday. “I thought he played better and ran his best after that stretch last game, and he looked good today,” Phillips said. “More and more, I think we’ll see the Marion Barber that we know and love.” Barber remains a must play in all fantasy leagues due to his ability to score TDs.

Atlanta: The Falcons didn’t hold practice Wednesday, but released an “estimated” injury report that said Roddy White wouldn’t have participated due to a knee injury. The league requires teams playing on Monday Night Football to release a projected injury report even if they don’t practice. White did appear to injury his knee in the fourth quarter last week, but is not expected to miss any time.