Tight end Jermichael Finley had five catches for 61 yards in the Packers’ 21-13 NFC North-clinching win against the Bears on Sunday, a game that followed a report that Green Bay has decided to move on without the tight end in 2013.
Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that the team will either trade Finley or release him before paying a $3 million roster bonus due on the 15th day of the league year. Finley told Josina Anderson of ESPN that the Packers haven’t said anything to him about parting ways after the season and that he’d like to remain with the team for the rest of his career.
“I didn’t check it out,” Finley said when asked about the report. “It’s a business, and I would love to be here my whole career. I’m comfortable here, and I want to be a Packer for life. That’s all I can say about that.”
McGinn cited “financial, competitive and behavioral reasons” for the Packers’ decision to end their relationship with Finley. Taking Finley off the roster would create cap space to use on extensions for other players and, as we heard when he decided to share his opinions on the Bears defense last week, Finley has a habit of saying things that make more waves than the Packers might like. That would likely be a lesser problem if Finley was putting up huge numbers, but he hasn’t done that and that might prove to be the final straw for Finley in Green Bay.