Now that free-agent tight end Jermichael Finley has received clearance from Dr. Jospeh Maroon to return to football, Finley needs to find a team that will clear him to play. Then, he needs to find a contract that he regards as appropriate, given all relevant circumstances.
And that’s the point at which Finley will have a tough decision to make. With a $10 million disability policy available to Finley if he’s never able to play again, Finley will have to decide whether to call it quits for $10 million tax free, or whether to return to the NFL for far less than what it would take to earn $10 million after taxes.
Agent Blake Baratz expressed confidence during a visit last week to PFT Live that Finley can get the insurance money if he chooses not to play, despite the fact that he has received clearance to return. If that’s accurate, Finley could lose a lot of money in exchange for a chance to play football again.
The dilemma doesn’t come squarely into focus for Finley until a team clears him to play for it and begins making monetary offers. And while Finley has plenty of money put away, $10 million to not incur any further risk of injury versus something potentially much less than $10 million coupled with the risk of another neck injury and other problems seems like an easy decision to make with the brain.
But the brain doesn’t always make those decisions.