Free agent tight end Jermichael Finley still hopes to find a team willing to take a chance on him and his fused neck this season.
According to Tom Peliserro of USA Today, Finley will undergo further testing on Wednesday in attempt to prove his medical stability after a neck injury suffered against the Cleveland Browns last October ended his season and put his career in jeopardy.
Finley will send the results of the exams to all 32 teams to show he’s recovered from the injury and is ready to get back on a football field. He was officially cleared to return to football activities in May.
Finley has received interest from his former team, the Green Bay Packers, in addition to the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers. However, the Seahawks are now set at tight end following a contract restructure for Zach Miller and are no longer pursuing Finley.
Finley said the Steelers have tendered offers but not for the value he is seeking. The catch for Finley is he has a $10 million tax-free disability insurance policy waiting if he doesn’t play football again. In order to make returning to football worth it, Finley has to find a team willing to give a contract enticing enough to forgo the $10 million he can still collect.
“If I quit the game right now, I can take tax-free money, and that’s a difficult thing that I’m going through with myself,” Finley said.
Finley still wants to play and the market for his services could expand when injuries begin to set in during training camp.