Finley took the hard road back

[denverYooper]

from knee injury: http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/130679553.html

Hopefully this will help Fin become a more durable player. It sounds like he really worked hard on his rehab and did a lot of cross-conditioning. Working out the little stabilizers, the cardio, and the flex are just as important as the glory lifts! Even more so when it comes to the stresses that these bodies deal with. (I surmise an imbalance there contributes to Neal's ongoing issues). The article also corroborates the fact that the Packers look out long term health of their guys.

[vince]

It's been said before. Hopefully it's for real. It's great to see him growing up. Now he's going to be really expensive to re-sign. Stay healthy big boy, stick with A-Rod and noone can stop you.

[pbmax]

YOTTO in deed. Just stay healthy big guy.

[Smeefers]

I think there's only one guy we gotta sign before Finley is Mathews, besides that, we gotta lock him up.

[gbgary]

his tweets during his rehab constantly referenced his daily workouts. terrific player, has tons of talent, and has real chance of being a hall of famer if he stays on a good team and stays healthy.

[Patler]

I honestly do not expect the Packers to keep him. I think he will be too expensive in view of the other players the Packers absolutely have to try to keep, like Raji, Mathews, Rodgers and Jennings. I look at a talented TE like Finley as more of a luxury than a necessity, and I'm not sure he is a luxury the Packers will be able to afford.

[denverYooper]

I honestly do not expect the Packers to keep him. I think he will be too expensive in view of the other players the Packers absolutely have to try to keep, like Raji, Mathews, Rodgers and Jennings. I look at a talented TE like Finley as more of a luxury than a necessity, and I'm not sure he is a luxury the Packers will be able to afford.

Given that they've loaded up on TEs and they won the Superbowl without Finley, I'm not sure the Packers expect they'll be able to keep him either. I suspect that he'll need to give a discount on what the market will show in order for it to work.

Scott Wells is due for a new contract also. (http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110928/PKR01/110928184/Wells-value-increasing-contract-winds-down?odyssey=nav|head) It'd be hard to see that guy go now that the line looks better than it has in several years.

[Patler]

Scott Wells is due for a new contract also.[/URL] It'd be hard to see that guy go now that the line looks better than it has in several years.

Especially since they have no one to replace him with.

[Brandon494]

LOL to anyone who thinks Finley is leaving.

[mraynrand]

LOL to anyone who thinks Finley is leaving.

QFT. Franchise Tag, Baby! (At the very least)

Let's sign Scottie Wells and let Finley go.......:lol:

[pbmax]

All depends on money. Even Finley isn't going to get a max TE contract from the Packers, because of injury history if nothing else. Working in the Packers favor are TE contracts that remain reasonable and haven't seen huge inflation like Guards and QBs have. The real shocker will be the contract Rodgers is going to get leading up to the 2013 season (maybe mid-season). Manning, Brady, Vick and Brees will all have singed big deals well above Rivers and Rothliesberger by then.

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

Finley will be re-signed in a couple weeks.

[rbaloha1]

Finley will be re-signed in a couple weeks.

Hope you are right. Franchise tag if unable to sign.

[ThunderDan]

Finley is a game changing TE. Unless he asks for silly money the Pack will sign him long-term somewhere around week 9-10 of this season. If they can't sign long-term this year they will franchise him.

[Guiness]

Is Finley up after this season?

His Wikipedia page is strangely lacking.

[pbmax]

Is Finley up after this season?

His Wikipedia page is strangely lacking.

Go to rotoworld and use the search for his name. They have the contract info there in a pop up right next to other vital stats.

[MJZiggy]

Maybe now I get Rodgers' comments on Finley's mental errors...

[NewsBruin]

One thing that's going to factor in is the new cap floor cash requirements. I believe for this season and next, the cap burden is on the 32 teams as a collective to spend cash (salary+one-time bonuses+signing bonuses) to xx% of the cap. For the 2013 and the next 7 seasons, each team will be responsible for spending 90-something percent of its cap.

I think then that some teams will really make a push for signing bonuses this coming season to keep the league as a whole above the 100% level. After that, it will be on each team to spend the whole percentage of the cap.

Someone could make a better breakdown for me, but I think the ultimate end is that it will be a lot cheaper to get Finley now than to have to fight 10-something teams who are going to have to spend money (and have a league-encouraged incentive to spend up-front money) for him.