SideLion Report » Cortland Finnegan

Cortland Finnegan to the Detroit Lions? Doubt it.

Ross Husson — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:49:10 +0000

Nov 6, 2011; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans corner back Cortland Finnegan (31) warms up before a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-US PRESSWIRE

Cortland Finnegan’s name has been tossed around by fans as a possible free agency pick up. Finnegan is a decent cornerback and has ties to Jim Schwartz. When Schwartz was the defensive coordinator with Tennessee, Finnegan was there too and Finnegan made the Pro Bowl in 2008. It sounds like Finnegan would be a good fit for Lions to provide a boost to the less-than-stellar secondary. However, I highly doubt that the Lions will sing the free agent this offseason.

Schwartz was asked about if Finnegan would fit his current system yesterday at the NFL Combine. Here is an excerpt from what he said:

We haven’t gone all in on any one person. We haven’t also discounted any player or person. Anybody that fits our scheme, anybody that makes sense for us, we’ve done a good job of evaluating those guys. If Cortland ends up being one of those, then we’ll be in that position with him.

Also, National Football Post is reporting that Finnegan and the Titans are far apart on his new contract talks. How far apart? About 4 million dollars per season apart. While it may happen, I wouldn’t put my money on Finnegan re-signing with the Titans.

Cortland Finnegan wants to be paid like a top cornerback in the NFL. The Lions simply can’t afford that type of contract right now. We all know that if Cliff Avril is re-signed, it tightens Lions’ budget even more. If the Lions choose not to keep Avril, don’t expect the Lions to spend the money on signing Finnegan with his high demands. Instead, the Lions will likely use the money to re-sign Stephen Tulloch.

As good as it sounds to have Finnegan come to Detroit, the salary cap won’t allow it to happen unless Finnegan lowers his demands.

Free Agents The Detroit Lions Should Avoid

Zach Berridge — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:50:32 +0000

While there are still a few weeks before unresticted free agents become available for signing, there has been plenty of buzz around the league about teams jockeying for the best players. The Detroit Lions are cramped for cap space, so it’s not likely you’ll see another free agent signing to the degree we would all like to see (under current salary cap, without any contract restructurings).

Everyone’s talking about who should be signed. I think it is just as important to recognize the players that should not be signed for a variety of reasons. I’m sure we can all remember plenty of free agents that took nose dives in Detroit during the Matt Millen era, and while Martin Mayhew and the rest of the staff have done a pretty good job of selecting appropriate talent for the Lions during rebuilding, mistakes can still be made. Here is my opinion on which free agents the Lions should stay away from.

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Detroit Lions Linked to Cortland Finnegan

Zac Snyder — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:34:28 +0000

Today’s Detroit Free Press contains a tantalizing linkage between the Detroit Lions and Cortland Finnegan, one of the top cornerbacks that could be available when the free agency period begins in about a month. It is the first time the Lions have been directly linked to a possible free agent outside of their organization. Here is the line from Carlos Monarrez’s article in the Freep:

Don McPeak-US PRESSWIRE

According to a league source not affiliated with the Lions, Detroit could be one of the key teams interested in Finnegan if the Titans don’t sign him before free agency starts March 13.

While the fan in me would like to get excited about this report, there is way too much uncertainty to allow myself to go in that direction. First of all, there is no guarantee that Finnegan will be available. It is possible that he begins negotiations with the Titans that will keep him off the free agent market, or the team could apply the franchise tag when they have that option from February 20 to March 5.

Even if all that happens, the quote from the source leaves us with an unsatisfying “could be one of the key teams interested” in regards to the Detroit Lions. The source goes on to acknowledge that the Lions won’t be alone as possible suitors:

The Lions — along with St. Louis, Dallas, Oakland, San Francisco, Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Jacksonville — could make a play for Finnegan, according to the source.

In other words, any team that needs help at cornerback “could make a play for Finnegan”. I suppose it carries more weight coming from a league source but there really isn’t any new revelation here. The source is not affiliated with the Lions and doesn’t appear to have any direct knowledge of the team’s plans, otherwise we would have learned that the Lions would be one of the key players, not could be.

How should we take this as Lions fans? A person with NFL connections thinks the Lions might be a fit for Cortland Finnegan. As excited as we might want to get over the Lions being connected to Finnegan, I don’t see how we can reasonably take this report as anything more than that.

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