49ers: Kaepernick To Remain Starting QB
49ers offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins says Colin Kaepernick will remain the starting quarterback this week against the Jets (Twitter link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com). Kaepernick was benched this past weekend against the Bears, but the Niners still want to continue with him as their primary signal caller. 
In a snowy game against Chicago, the 49ers’ offense was unable to get anything going. After going 1-for-5 for four yards and taking five sacks, coach Chip Kelly benched No. 7 in favor of Blaine Gabbert. Gabbert did better, but not by much. He completed four of his ten passing attempts for 35 yards and was also brought down in the end zone for a safety.
This is, of course, a lost season for San Francisco. However, they are still trying to figure out how to proceed at quarterback in 2017 and beyond. This year, as Kaepernick started the year on the bench and made headlines for his polarizing political stances, it seemed quite unlikely that he would be the QB solution after this season. However, after a string of quality games last month, some observers called for the Niners to consider Kaepernick for next season. This final month of action should give us an indication of whether have any interest in retaining Kaepernick. If they don’t, then Kaepernick could be in position to land a decent contract on the open market.
Falcons Looking To Add DE
The Falcons are down a defensive end and they’re exploring their options. Today, the Falcons are auditioning old friend Malliciah Goodman. 
Recently, Adrian Clayborn suffered a torn MCL which will likely sideline him for the rest of the regular season and possibly longer. The 7-5 Falcons are currently using Brooks Reed at right defensive end opposite of Tyson Jackson. Behind them are Courtney Upshaw and Cliff Matthews.
If the Falcons add Goodman to the mix, they’ll have a third reserve bookend and someone who has some familiarity with the team. The Falcons selected Goodman in the fourth round of the 2013 draft. He has 34 career appearances with the Falcons spanning from 2013-2015.
In other Falcons news, the NFLPA released the figures on team spending over the last four years and found that the Falcons rank No. 13 in the NFL with roughly $550.6MM spent since 2013. Atlanta also lost top corner Desmond Trufant.
Giants’ Jason Pierre-Paul Has Groin Injury
Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul is in Philadelphia today to see surgeon/sports hernia specialist William Meyers regarding his groin injury, sources tell Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter links). However, Pierre-Paul’s visit to Meyers doesn’t necessarily mean surgery. 
JPP is in the midst of a great year and losing him in the home stretch of the season would be a tough blow for the 8-4 Giants. The 27-year-old (28 in January), has 53 tackles, seven sacks, and three forced fumbles on the year. According to Pro Football Focus, Pierre-Paul has been the seventh-best edge defender in the NFL this year, putting him ahead of Chandler Jones, Cameron Wake, James Harrison, and high-priced teammate Olivier Vernon. Not long ago, JPP’s future with the Giants was in question after his fireworks accident. Now, he’s a likely candidate for the franchise tag in the offseason.
Next up for the Giants is a Sunday showdown at home against the NFC-leading Cowboys. After that, they close out the year against the Lions, Eagles, and Redskins.
Jets To Start Bryce Petty At QB
Bryce Petty will be the Jets’ starting quarterback the rest of the way, coach Todd Bowles told reporters after last night’s 41-10 loss on national TV. Bowles added that the plan was to hand things off to Petty for the final month of the season heading into Monday night’s game and he insists that the decision was not based on the team’s embarrassing loss to the Colts. 
Ryan Fitzpatrick got the start last night and completed five of 12 passes for 81 yards and an interception. In the second half, the Jets turned to Petty, and he completed 11-of-25 passes for 135 yards and a score. Now, as the back pages of New York tabloids are calling for Bowles’ head, the Jets will evaluate their 25-year-old signal caller over the last four games of the season.
Fitzpatrick, for all intents and purposes, will be a free agent after this season. The Jets can’t blame him solely for their 3-9 mark, but his performance hasn’t exactly helped them this year either. Gang Green will move on from Fitzpatrick this spring and they want to know exactly what they have in Petty before they survey the market for available quarterbacks. If Kirk Cousins is retained by the Redskins, the Jets and other QB-needy teams will be left with the Jay Cutlers of the world and a weak slate of options to choose from in the draft.
NFL Spending By Team Over Last Four Seasons
The NFLPA has released the official data on team spending over the last four seasons. The Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulates that each team must utilize 89% of the salary cap over two four-year periods, 2013-16 and 2017-20. As previously reported, the Raiders are the only team that has yet to satisfy that requirement for the closing period. The CBA also requires the league, as a whole, to spend 95% of the cap, in cash, for the same period. That requirement has been easily met.
Here is the full rundown of every team’s spending in declining order:
Philadelphia Eagles – $613,928,134
Denver Broncos – $587,712,791
Seattle Seahawks – $584,305,975
Green Bay Packers – $583,138,740
Miami Dolphins – $577,975,260
Kansas City Chiefs – $575,541,332
Buffalo Bills – $573,647,850
Chicago Bears – $568,301,610
Cincinnati Bengals – $567,289,411
Baltimore Ravens – $562,425,698
San Diego Chargers – $562,232,116
Indianapolis Colts – $556,335,689
Atlanta Falcons – $550,614,572
New York Giants – $543,787,033
Arizona Cardinals – $543,327,538
Los Angeles Rams – $541,957,711
New Orleans Saints – $539,836,498
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $539,736,102
Minnesota Vikings – $539,162,454
New York Jets – $533,151,519
Washington Redskins – $532,545,662
Pittsburgh Steelers – $530,698,171
Detroit Lions – $530,210,549
Tennessee Titans – $524,505,256
Dallas Cowboys – $523,033,036
Houston Texans – $517,212,166
Jacksonville Jaguars – $516,908,734
Cleveland Browns – $516,158,864
San Francisco 49ers – $514,488,198
New England Patriots – $500,083,836
Carolina Panthers – $495,149,346
Oakland Raiders – $491,433,408
Bears Claim CB Johnthan Banks
The Bears have claimed cornerback Johnthan Banks off waivers from the Lions, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. He’ll take the roster spot of Jay Cutler, who has been officially placed on injured reserve. Cutler learned late last week that he has been ruled out for the year. The Bears also waived linebacker Lamin Barrow from injured reserve.
Banks was cut by the Lions over the weekend, a move that was overshadowed because Justin Forsett was cut at the same time. Banks, a former second round pick, was traded from the Buccaneers to the Lions in early November. The change of scenery didn’t change much for the 27-year-old, but the Bears are curious enough to take a look at him. With a 3-9 record, Chicago has nothing to lose.
In other Bears news, the team also brought in three wide receivers for tryouts: Jared Abbrederis, Bralon Addison, and Brelan Chancellor (Twitter link via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune). All three players have experience as returners.
Redskins Cut CB Dashaun Phillips
The Redskins announced that they have released cornerback Dashaun Phillips. The move will make room for the return of Trent Williams to the 53-man roster, Mike Jones of The Washington Post tweets. 
Phillips started the year as the Redskins’ primary nickel cornerback. Eventually, he fell out of favor, got cut, and was signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the taxi squad late last week, but his latest 53-man run did not last long. He was a healthy scratch against Arizona on Sunday.
Williams received a four-game ban in November for missing a drug test. That was a huge hit for the Redskins as Williams is ranked as Pro Football Focus’ top tackle in the NFL this season. After the suspension was announced, Williams accused the union of not following the proper protocol with regards to his situation.
Broncos Place Kapri Bibbs On IR
As expected, the Broncos have placed Kapri Bibbs on injured reserve. The team’s signing of Justin Forsett earlier today was a pretty good indication that Bibbs was done for the year. 
[RELATED: Broncos Add RB Justin Forsett]
Bibbs’ left ankle was actually diagnosed as 2-to-4 week injury, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. However, the team needed his roster spot. Ultimately, the team needed to have at least three running backs available and they could not afford to wait for Bibbs return. Now, they have the newly-acquired Justin Forsett to back up Devontae Booker and Juwan Thompson.
Bibbs, a Colorado State product, appeared in 12 games for Denver this year. In his reserve role, the tailback had 29 carries for 129 yards. He also added two catches for 75 yards and one score.
Bills Shut Down WR Percy Harvin
The Bills are shutting down Percy Harvin for the year. Harvin’s severe migraine headaches proved to be too much to overcome and he is being placed on the NFI list, the team announced. 
Harvin surprised everyone in the football world when he came out of retirement earlier this year to rejoin the Bills. Desperate for a playmaker with Sammy Watkins sidelined, coach Rex Ryan admitted that the move was a bit of a Hail Mary. The Bills’ moderate risk did not pay off. In two games, Harvin caught two passes for six yards.
Harvin, 28, has dealt with chronic migraines throughout his career. Early on with the Vikings, Harvin also missed time with headaches. Later in his career, hip and knee issues became a larger issue for the talented receiver.
It seems likely that Harvin will consider retirement again this offseason. If he walks away from the game again, he probably won’t make a return. To date, Harvin has nearly 5,000 career all-purpose yards. After the 2013 season, he captured a Super Bowl ring with the Seahawks.
Texans Waive Charles James II
The Texans have waived cornerback Charles James, as John McClain of the Houston Chronicle tweets. To take his spot, the Texans have claimed cornerback Al-Hajj Shabazz off waivers from the Steelers. Moments ago, James took to Instagram to bid farewell to Houston (sic): 
“My time in Houston is up I gave y’all everything I had. All I have is good memories about this place. I’m truly sorry I couldn’t be better in the most precious moments but I’m only human and life happens I’ve learned to take the Good with the Bad the Ups with the Downs. God is the center and head of my life so I got trust in the man upstairs that my life will pan out the way it should. To the people who know my story, my journey, my testimony you’ll know it’s just a detour in the road. Imma miss y’all boys in the locker room especially my boys in the DB room we had special times man. Later for now H town.”
On Sunday, James slipped in the snow and gave up a long touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson. Slipping in the snow is forgivable, to many, but the Texans apparently did not see it that way. James, 26, first gained some fans when he was featured on Hard Knocks while with the Ravens. He did not make the active roster in Baltimore, but he saw some in-game action when he joined the Texans last season.
Shabazz, an undrafted rookie out of West Chester in 2015, bounced between the Steelers’ active roster and practice squad this season. Over the weekend, he was dropped by Pittsburgh. In five career games, the cornerback has collected one tackle.