Do you believe the guy coming off a serious neck injury is in demand on the free agent market or is that just his agent making stuff up? Whatever you think, Jason La Canfora says there’s a healthy market forming for Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley.
Healthy market forming for Packers TE Jermichael Finley, coming off injury. Not sure he gets longterm deal, but could do well on 1-2 yr
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) February 25, 2014
It’s very possible Finley could be in demand simply because of what has transpired over the last 24 hours. The top two free agent tight ends won’t be hitting the open market.
The Ravens re-signed Dennis Pitta to a new five-year deal this morning. He’ll get an average of $6.5 million per season. Additionally, the biggest catch — New Orleans’ Jimmy Graham — will be franchised by the team, according to reports.
Who’s the next best guy on the market? Finley.
The question is whether teams will be cautious because of the injury or if they’ll be in a big hurry to take a chance on, really, the only game-changing tight end left on the market?
As La Canfora points out, teams seem to realize giving Finley a long-term deal would be foolish. Although he says he’ll be cleared to play in 2014, it remains to be seen how Finley will respond in his return from spinal fusion surgery.
Coach Mike McCarthy has made it clear he’d like to see Finley back in Green Bay, but if there is indeed a healthy market for the tight end, the chances of that happening are minimal. Ted Thompson won’t get into a bidding war.
Our bet? Finley joins former Packers quarterbacks coach Ben McAdoo, the current offensive coordinator for the New York Giants.