Packers Sign Finley

[Lurker64]

Per PFT's Twitter:

"Per league source, Packers agree to terms on two-year contract with TE Jermichael Finley. Details coming at PFT."

"More on Jermichael Finley: Two-year deal is worth slightly under $15 million."

[Brando19]

Two years??? Hmm...I figured we'd sign him to a four year deal. I guess they're wanting him to prove himself.

[MJZiggy]

Wow, he hasn't tweeted about it yet. There must be a "quit your damn typing" clause.

[gbgary]

Wow, he hasn't tweeted about it yet. There must be a "quit your damn typing" clause.

lol

good news! looks like they split the difference on the te/wr tag amounts.

[gbgary]

fin tweets...


It's TRUE! Thank you so much to the Packers organization, all of my fans, and my beautiful wife. Happy Bday. Let's GO Packers!! Back soon...

[King Friday]

Was his wife a negotiator?

[HarveyWallbangers]

2y, $15M. I need to dig up a thread.

[gbgary]

2y, $15M. I need to dig up a thread.

you must have predicted that exact contract. waiting...

[Upnorth]

Close to 7.5 mill per year??? If its incentive laden then my first thoughts were bang on (except I thought 4 yrs). However that uses a lot of space, which means byebye cliffy, maybe wells and driver has to renegotiate. I just hope we don't get room from Collins.

[HarveyWallbangers]

you must have predicted that exact contract. waiting...

:)

Nope. I'm not that good, but I did make this statement:

A poster who shall remain nameless:


Exactly, you don't tag a player with the drops.

TT and Finely's agent will work out a contract before they need to tag him. 4 years $18M.

My response:


I'd be willing to offer up a friendly wager that he gets more, on average, than that. I'd say he'll get more than $5m/year and probably something at or over the TE franchise number.

I finally got one right. :)

[HarveyWallbangers]

To be fair, this one wasn't that difficult. Finley is a special talent and he was going to get paid. Now, let's just hope he gets over the drops and matures a bit more. At least, he has the QB on his side, and that's a good thing.

[pittstang5]

So now, does TT tag Wells? Flynn? (Doubt Flynn, but thought I'd throw it out there)

[gbgary]

i like the compromise between the te and wr tags. he is a te but if he really did have more snaps at wr then this is a good number.

[MadtownPacker]

Even if he keeps dropping shit it aint bad for a high priced decoy. I get the feeling he will be better without worrying about getting paid. Good job TT.

[red]

Even if he keeps dropping shit it aint bad for a high priced decoy. I get the feeling he will be better without worrying about getting paid. Good job TT.

yup, lets hope this takes his mind off having to prove himself and he just goes out and plays the way he's capable of doing

seems decent even if it is short. split the difference between the TE and WR tags, that seems fair all around

[Lurker64]

So now, does TT tag Wells? Flynn? (Doubt Flynn, but thought I'd throw it out there)

You can't tag Wells, since there's no Center tag designation, you would be paying him with the OL tag which means he'd be getting paid like an elite LT, which no center is worth.

So they're tagging Flynn or nobody.

[ND72]

"word" has it...and granted this is from reading too much during the day, if they tagged wells, that would be like between a $9 and $15mil tag, they take the average of guards and tackles to give to centers I guess...but one "scout" said today he's heard conversations of Thompson making feelers if someone would trade for Flynn.

I'm just the messenger. Sometimes though, as I found at christmas, you get a card, half burned, in a zip lock baggy from USPS saying "We Care". So I might not be right. :)

[Lurker64]

From what I've heard (largely from from a recently retired professional scout from another team who posts on another message board) that there are people elsewhere on the league who are very high on Flynn.

It would not be entirely surprising to see something like Flynn+#28 for #8/#9 with Miami (Miami and Carolina flip a coin to see who drafts 8th).

[Farley Face]

From what I've heard (largely from from a recently retired professional scout from another team who posts on another message board) that there are people elsewhere on the league who are very high on Flynn.

It would not be entirely surprising to see something like Flynn+#28 for #8/#9 with Miami (Miami and Carolina flip a coin to see who drafts 8th).

How do they get the $14 mill cap space needed to even apply the tag to Flynn to begin with?

[Lurker64]

How do they get the $14 mill cap space needed to even apply the tag to Flynn to begin with?

You save $5m by cutting Driver, you save $5.7m by cutting Clifton, you save $2.75m off the cap by guaranteeing Woodson's roster bonus, you have $6.2m carried over from last year. That should be enough.

That should be enough right? I mean, you can resign these people after you get Flynn out the door, since that $14m guaranteed goes away once he's someone else's property (and there's no way they tag Flynn without having a handshake deal in place to trade him.)

[gbgary]

tom silverstein...


$5.75 million in '12 and $8.25 million in '13

[Patler]

So his 2012 cap # is less than his franchise tag would have cost?
With the big jump for 2013, methinks they are saying to Finley, "Now prove that the drops in 2011 were a fluke."


EDIT - My old eyes are failing me. I read the italics of the quote as $5.15, but now I see it as $5.75. So slightly more than the franchise #, but I still think they are asking him to prove himself.

[Lurker64]

So his 2012 cap # is less than his franchise tag would have cost?
With the big jump for 2013, methinks they are saying to Finley, "Now prove that the drops in 2011 were a fluke."

I think 2012 is "a little more than the TE tag" and 2013 is "a little less than the WR tag" as a means of splitting the difference on the dispute that would arise were Finley to be tagged.

2012 tag number for TEs is $5.4m and for WRs it's $9.4m.

[Patler]

I think 2012 is "a little more than the TE tag" and 2013 is "a little less than the WR tag" as a means of splitting the difference on the dispute that would arise were Finley to be tagged.

2012 tag number for TEs is $5.4m and for WRs it's $9.4m.

Ya, I misread the italics of the quoted numbers. See my edit comment in my post.

[Lurker64]

Ya, I misread the italics of the quoted numbers. See my edit comment in my post.

I agree with your ultimate point that this is a "prove it" contract. Possibly timed in such a way to let the Packers tag and trade Flynn. I wouldn't be surprised if this was motivated by another team (possibly Miami?) extending feelers to TT asking after Matt Flynn in trade.

[Farley Face]

You save $5m by cutting Driver, you save $5.7m by cutting Clifton, you save $2.75m off the cap by guaranteeing Woodson's roster bonus, you have $6.2m carried over from last year. That should be enough.

That should be enough right? I mean, you can resign these people after you get Flynn out the door, since that $14m guaranteed goes away once he's someone else's property (and there's no way they tag Flynn without having a handshake deal in place to trade him.)

Thanks Lurk. You just motivated me to study the top half of round 1! Although, while he did do the Corey Williams sign and trade I'm thinking this deal might fall outside the TT comfort zone (or maybe I'm just projecting my own apprehension). Lots of risk when you consider he may get a two this year for Flynn or a Hasselbeck-like trade up in round 1 when he knows he'll get a third or fourth rounder a year later in a compensatory pick for letting Flynn walk untethered. Intriguing stuff either way and I appreciate your take.

[Scott Campbell]

So his 2012 cap # is less than his franchise tag would have cost?
With the big jump for 2013, methinks they are saying to Finley, "Now prove that the drops in 2011 were a fluke."


EDIT - My old eyes are failing me. I read the italics of the quote as $5.15, but now I see it as $5.75. So slightly more than the franchise #, but I still think they are asking him to prove himself.

If year 2 isn't guaranteed, then you're right.

[Lurker64]

If year 2 isn't guaranteed, then you're right.

I really don't think the Packers would guarantee the entire contract. Nobody does that.

[smuggler]

^They probably guaranteed about 8 million of it. Next season, they can renegotiate out a longish contract (if TT wishes) and take that 2013 number down (at the very least it would be 4 million, though, plus the prorated signing bonus amount of the next contract)


How do they get the $14 mill cap space needed to even apply the tag to Flynn to begin with?

They aren't responsible for being under the cap until the end of the season. It's like in Back to the Future 3: When we get to the end of the season, that $15mil won't even be there!

[Gunakor]

How do they get the $14 mill cap space needed to even apply the tag to Flynn to begin with?



They aren't responsible for being under the cap until the end of the season. It's like in Back to the Future 3: When we get to the end of the season, that $15mil won't even be there!

Aren't they responsible for being under the cap at all times?

If you mean they aren't responsible for being under next year's cap until the end of the 2011 league year, you're right but none of Finley's new money counts against 2011's cap. His new contract doesn't begin until the 2012 league season begins since the contract years are 2012 and 2013. So to tag Flynn they'd still need to clear 14 million against the 2012 cap, and Finley's new money would indeed count against that cap as well. They'd have to find that 14 million somewhere else. Once Flynn is traded that 14 million would be cleared off the books and Ted could spend that money elsewhere, but it must be available from the time Flynn is tagged until the time he is traded.

I think Lurker got it right, and it can be done that way. The Cliftons and the Drivers can be resigned after Flynn is traded should Ted choose to do so.

[pittstang5]

(and there's no way they tag Flynn without having a handshake deal in place to trade him.)

Exactly and all you need is two teams that want him - let the bidding war commence.

[Smeefers]

If they're going to tag Flynn, it has to happen fast. I don't see it. March 7th is the deadline, right?

[pbmax]

Tag deadline is March 5th (according to Silverstein). And I agree its a prove it deal, but I wonder if it anticipates use of the tag in 2 years?

Does the new TV revenue kick in in 2013 or 2014? I think ESPN happens one year earlier than others. So 2013 could be a bump but I think 2014 is the big increase.

And this deal makes me like Finley even more. Say what you want about him, he is not afraid. Unless this deal has significant guarantees, he is taking a risk here. The new tag calculations gave the Packers a lot of leverage.

[Upnorth]

So the Driver pay cut will compensate the Finley raise. How much cap room are we left with?

[pbmax]

Finley knew what was happening and Thompson volunteers for some public speaking (From Feb 22, 2008):

http://host.madison.com/sports/looking-to-hook-a-horn-the-packers-might-already-be/article_2d96551d-b141-57f8-a9ea-828ba0654e76.html

[Scott Campbell]

I really don't think the Packers would guarantee the entire contract. Nobody does that.


I don't think I've ever seen a 2 year contract with such a young player. This one broke the mold a little.

[pbmax]

So the Driver pay cut will compensate the Finley raise. How much cap room are we left with?

There was approx $6.x million in room plus $5.x mil carried over from last year. So they had $12 mil, with Finley's new deal that leaves just over $6 mil. Flynn will cost $14 mil in cap space. So they need to clear room until shortly after the new league year starts.

If they do tag Flynn and just make it under the cap, they will be out of the FA market by cap number until he is traded. So even resigning their own at that point is on hold until Flynn gets moved. So they will need a trading partner before they tag him.

[pbmax]

I don't think I've ever seen a 2 year contract with such a young player. This one broke the mold a little.

I think Wahle signed a six year deal with Sherman that was engineered to end at 3 years. But I don't remember anything as short as 2 for a young one either.

[Joemailman]

For Finley, it's better than the Franchise tag. For the Packers, it gives them 2 more years to determine if Finley is a great player, or a guy who had the potential to be great.

[Patler]

No word yet of any signing bonus with this deal. All in all, a very team friendly deal from what we have heard so far.

It makes me wonder if the deal includes an agreement by the Packers not to franchise him in 2014. That would be one thing that would be in Finley's favor. The contract seems to be for not a lot more than tagging him for two years would have cost. I can understand him accepting that if it ensures he won't be tagged in 2014. Otherwise, he hasn't gained much that I can see.

[Ballboy]

Everyone one is mentioning the Tag Flynn and trade deal....I remember reading that this is actually against league rules and after the new agreement the league is really watching this type of deal.

Anyone else hear anything such as this?

[Cheesehead Craig]

So his 2012 cap # is less than his franchise tag would have cost?
With the big jump for 2013, methinks they are saying to Finley, "Now prove that the drops in 2011 were a fluke."


EDIT - My old eyes are failing me. I read the italics of the quote as $5.15, but now I see it as $5.75. So slightly more than the franchise #, but I still think they are asking him to prove himself.

Yep, hopefully next year will be "The Year Of The Catch" for Finley.

[Patler]

A few more details:


According to a league source, Finley will make $5.75 million in 2012 - slightly more than he would have gotten if he were franchised - and $8.25 million in 2013. He will receive all but about $2 million of his '12 salary in bonuses before the season starts.

The second-year total includes a $4.45 million roster bonus due the 15th day of the league year that would allow the Packers to cut ties with Finley with no future effect to their salary cap if he flames out this season. However, if they pay it, Finley will have pocketed $10.2 million over the first 13 months of the deal.

Still looks very team friendly by giving the team a decision point for a second year after 2012, with costs for 2012 not much more than the franchise tag, and no deadmoney for 2013 if for any reason they would decide to let him go.

[Pugger]

For Finley, it's better than the Franchise tag. For the Packers, it gives them 2 more years to determine if Finley is a great player, or a guy who had the potential to be great.

this

[ND72]

Everyone one is mentioning the Tag Flynn and trade deal....I remember reading that this is actually against league rules and after the new agreement the league is really watching this type of deal.

Anyone else hear anything such as this?

It's been against league rules for many years...they just simply "frown" upon the use of it. People are pointing out that this is in the new collective bargaining (are we allowed to say that in wisconsin) deal, but it was actually in the last deal as well.

[Smeefers]

Everyone one is mentioning the Tag Flynn and trade deal....I remember reading that this is actually against league rules and after the new agreement the league is really watching this type of deal.

Anyone else hear anything such as this?

What I heard on the radio is that if they tag him after they work out a deal with another team, then it's against the rules. They'd have to tag them, then look for deals. Also, the second they make the deal, Flynn is going to sign the agreement. They can rescind the deal up until he signs it, but who wouldn't sign that deal? Pretty much, the second they sign him, they loose all barganing power because everyone knows they HAVE to get rid of him. The only way they get a high draft pick is if a lot of teams want him and start a bidding war and I don't know if that's the case.

[Joemailman]

What I heard on the radio is that if they tag him after they work out a deal with another team, then it's against the rules. They'd have to tag them, then look for deals. Also, the second they make the deal, Flynn is going to sign the agreement. They can rescind the deal up until he signs it, but who wouldn't sign that deal? Pretty much, the second they sign him, they loose all barganing power because everyone knows they HAVE to get rid of him. The only way they get a high draft pick is if a lot of teams want him and start a bidding war and I don't know if that's the case.

Which is precisely what TT will be trying to orchestrate the next few days.

[ThunderDan]

:)

Nope. I'm not that good, but I did make this statement:

A poster who shall remain nameless:



My response:



I finally got one right. :)

That was me. Don't be affraid to bump what I said or say it was me.

I think we way overpaid for the 2011 version of JFinley. And if we overpaid we should have gotten at least 4 years. Now in 2 years we will have to play the game again.

The fun thing is if Finley got an extension I was going to buy a Finley jersey. I didn't want to spend money in 2011 for a jersey for 1 year. Maybe I'll get a Mathews jersy instead after we sign him long-term.

[Cleft Crusty]

The fun thing is if Finley got an extension I was going to buy a Finley jersey. I didn't want to spend money in 2011 for a jersey for 1 year. Maybe I'll get a Mathews jersy instead after we sign him long-term.

This tragedy plays out more often than you'd think. Fans buy a jersey only to have it become obsolete almost instantly. Be happy you aren't like my grandkid. Even though he has a signed, authentic, Jerry Babb jersey, courtesy of gramps, it's still Jerry Babb. Havner is another example, and you can't convert back to number 4, once the damage is done.

[gbgary]

silverstein...

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/140150423.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

[HarveyWallbangers]

For Finley, it's better than the Franchise tag. For the Packers, it gives them 2 more years to determine if Finley is a great player, or a guy who had the potential to be great.

Sums it up very well.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Everyone one is mentioning the Tag Flynn and trade deal....I remember reading that this is actually against league rules and after the new agreement the league is really watching this type of deal.

Anyone else hear anything such as this?

I thought that also, but then I read that it's not actually against the rules but "frowned upon". The Packers did the same deal with Corey Williams and bagged a 2nd round pick out of it. I'm not sure what is true, but I now believe Thompson will go this route.

[gbgary]

I thought that also, but then I read that it's not actually against the rules but "frowned upon". The Packers did the same deal with Corey Williams and bagged a 2nd round pick out of it. I'm not sure what is true, but I now believe Thompson will go this route.

i hope so!

[KYPack]

I thought that also, but then I read that it's not actually against the rules but "frowned upon". The Packers did the same deal with Corey Williams and bagged a 2nd round pick out of it. I'm not sure what is true, but I now believe Thompson will go this route.

NE & KC did a similar deal w/Matt Cassel. The Pats tagged him and then traded Cassel & Vrabel to KC for a 2nd round pick. Then Cassel inked a multi year deal with KC.

Bill B doesn't care about "frowns". He does it so much, you know.

I could see us tagging Flynn and then trading him to a QB hungry team for a 1st round swap. It would give us a good draft position and we could get a prime defender for a back-up QB.

[smuggler]

It's not against the rules to tag & trade. But, since the compensation is just a 1st round pick now, instead of two first rounders, it might be a better idea to just tag and let another team sign him. If no team sends him an offer sheet, at that point, we can trade his exclusive rights for *less* than the 1st round pick.

[pbmax]

way too late with this

[Lurker64]

It's not against the rules to tag & trade. But, since the compensation is just a 1st round pick now, instead of two first rounders, it might be a better idea to just tag and let another team sign him. If no team sends him an offer sheet, at that point, we can trade his exclusive rights for *less* than the 1st round pick.

Are you sure that the compensation for signing away an on-exclusive franchised player is only a first round pick? I thought the change was that restricted free agents can now only be tendered as high as a 1st round pick (i.e. they did away with the "first and third" designation), but the only thing that changes about the franchise tag is how the franchise tenders are calculated.

I'm pretty sure, though, that if Thompson doesn't have a handshake deal in place to trade Flynn before the tag deadline (like New England had with KC when they tagged Cassel), then he won't tag Flynn. There's too much risk otherwise.

[pbmax]

A few more details:



Still looks very team friendly by giving the team a decision point for a second year after 2012, with costs for 2012 not much more than the franchise tag, and no deadmoney for 2013 if for any reason they would decide to let him go.

Silverstein also points out that the $8.25 mil figure (which could get close to $10 mil with incentives) will likely be above the TE tag number for 2014. If true, then Finley is in line for a 120% bump off that salary should the Packers tag him. A $10+ mil salary number will make it less likely the Packers tag him. So Finley benefits from a two year deal, a higher salary than the TE tag this year, near guaranteed money this year AND a disincentive for the tag after this deal.

However, if he is getting a $4.45 mil bonus next March, I think Spoon's math might be off. Do roster or option bonuses count as salary in the year they are realized?

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/140150423.html

[Fritz]

Homosexuality is frowned upon by many social conservatives...but that doesn't seem to be stopping it.

[pbmax]

You can catch the quotes and notes from Ty Dunne, Wilde and Kareem Copeland on Twitter but essentially:

1. Finley was surprised the negotiations turned around so fast and it was one call on Wed am.
2. Knows all money and contracts will make a huge jump in 2014 so another reason to accept 2 year deal
3. Knows the values of Gronk and Graham's contracts and thinks it doable as a 26 yo FA. Said he came to game with nothing, so not worried about risk of waiting to land big one.
3. Signing contract in Indy with Ted and Russ Ball

Wilde had this quote: "It was all of a sudden. It was one phone call. it was like night and day – it switched. I was like, ‘What? Ted?’"

Perhaps Green Bay got a bite on Flynn trade bait and needed to move things along to shore up the cap?

[jklowan]

You can catch the quotes and notes from Ty Dunne, Wilde and Kareem Copeland on Twitter but essentially:

1. Finley was surprised the negotiations turned around so fast and it was one call on Wed am.
2. Knows all money and contracts will make a huge jump in 2014 so another reason to accept 2 year deal
3. Knows the values of Gronk and Graham's contracts and thinks it doable as a 26 yo FA. Said he came to game with nothing, so not worried about risk of waiting to land big one.
3. Signing contract in Indy with Ted and Russ Ball

Wilde had this quote: "It was all of a sudden. It was one phone call. it was like night and day – it switched. I was like, ‘What? Ted?’"

Perhaps Green Bay got a bite on Flynn trade bait and needed to move things along to shore up the cap?

couldn't the pack just make a 1st or 2nd round tender on Flynn and not have the impact on the cap as Flynn could wait to sign it

[Upnorth]

He's not an rfa, just a fa. I thought that earlier as well.

[jklowan]

He's not an rfa, just a fa. I thought that earlier as well.

what is the cap hit on the transition tag?

[RashanGary]

Not bad. Hopefully he puts it all together this year. I only read the first page. Is it time to franchise Flynn?

[Lurker64]

Is it time to franchise Flynn?

If you can reach a handshake deal to trade Flynn before the last day you can apply the tag, you franchise Flynn. Otherwise, you just don't use the tag. Too much risk involved if you aren't sure that you can trade Flynn.

[ThunderDan]

If you can reach a handshake deal to trade Flynn before the last day you can apply the tag, you franchise Flynn. Otherwise, you just don't use the tag. Too much risk involved if you aren't sure that you can trade Flynn.

I thought I heard there were two tags also. A franchise tag and a transition tag.

The franchise tag requires the average pay of the top 5 players at that position or 120% of last years salary. If another team offers the original team can match. If they don't match the other team gets the player and gives up 2 1st round picks.

The transition tag is average pay of the top 10 players at the postion or 120% of last years salary. If another team offers the original team can match. If they don't match the player goes without compensation.

[gbgary]

it's funny...a while back every thread was turning into a finley thread, and now this finley thread is turning into a flynn thead. :D

[Iron Mike]

Funniest thing I heard about it was this a.m. on WDUZ some caller expressed surprise that Finley could hold a pen long enough to sign his name to the contract.... :)

[pbmax]

Thunder Dan's franchise and transition tag definitions are from the last CBA, both have changed though its a similar idea of an average of salaries at that position. Another change is that poison pills have been eliminated apparently (no more Steve Hutchinson deals).

But the transition tag is for a right to match only. The Packer's don't want to pay him starter money to stay. A team that signs him will pay starter money. Since there is no compensation due to the Packers, the transition tag is useless as they would refuse to match.

[Smidgeon]

People were worried that Finley was looking for the highest money deal. Turns out he just didn't want the uncertainty:

“I thank (agent) Blake (Baratz) and the Packers organization for meeting right in the middle because I really didn’t want to test the market. That’s my honest-to-God opinion.”

“We got that high-powered offense,” Finley said. “I didn’t want to leave that. You don’t want to leave a team like that. You’ve got Aaron Rodgers back there throwing the ball, you don’t want to mess that up.”

[mission]

People were worried that Finley was looking for the highest money deal. Turns out he just didn't want the uncertainty:

“I thank (agent) Blake (Baratz) and the Packers organization for meeting right in the middle because I really didn’t want to test the market. That’s my honest-to-God opinion.”

“We got that high-powered offense,” Finley said. “I didn’t want to leave that. You don’t want to leave a team like that. You’ve got Aaron Rodgers back there throwing the ball, you don’t want to mess that up.”

And as some have been saying this entire time, the idea that Finley wanted the absolute most money wasn't really based on anything but speculation because of his/wife's personality.

[gbgary]

People were worried that Finley was looking for the highest money deal. Turns out he just didn't want the uncertainty:

“I thank (agent) Blake (Baratz) and the Packers organization for meeting right in the middle because I really didn’t want to test the market. That’s my honest-to-God opinion.”

“We got that high-powered offense,” Finley said. “I didn’t want to leave that. You don’t want to leave a team like that. You’ve got Aaron Rodgers back there throwing the ball, you don’t want to mess that up.”

anyone that had maturity questions about him should have had them answered after this.

[smuggler]

Yeah, I was mistaken on the compensation. There are 2 different tiers of franchise tag. Exclusive rights cost more. Non-exclusive rights allows matching or two first round picks as compensation.

E: also, there is no longer a transition tag designation

[Patler]

It makes me wonder if the deal includes an agreement by the Packers not to franchise him in 2014. That would be one thing that would be in Finley's favor. The contract seems to be for not a lot more than tagging him for two years would have cost. I can understand him accepting that if it ensures he won't be tagged in 2014. Otherwise, he hasn't gained much that I can see.

I guess I am just not as sharp as I was. As Silverstein pointed out today, the heavy compensation in year two reduces the chances of the Packers franchising him in 2014 because of the 120% rule. The tag would cost about $10 million if his 2013 compensation is $8.25 million, and some are now saying his 2013 number is closer to $9 million.

[pbmax]

http://blogs.greenbaypressgazette.com/blogs/gpg/insider/2012/02/24/finley-deal-details-benefits-of-two-year-contract/

Some more details on the numbers. $6.2 in '12, $8.0 in '13, $500,000 escalator in '13 (trigger not mentioned), $14.7 mil total. Copeland doesn't differentiate bonuses, but if he is right about these numbers being the salary, it boosts the case for Finley having some franchise tag protection in '14.

[goldplater]

on the other hand the pack might trade him for a high pick next year if he does not improve in catch efficency. and maybe they arrange another high pick now by tagging flynn now, the lower first year for finley helps in that case the packers.
clearly win-win situation.

TT is very smart. I would not wonder if he arranges a FA-deal for Center and DT. Thats maybe not as costly than at other positions and helps in the decision to draft a prime passrusher-OLB-type DE.