With training camp only a couple weeks away from beginning for the Pittsburgh Steelers, general manager Kevin Colbert could be looking to get franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger another weapon.
Free agent tight end Jermichael Finley has been linked to the Steelers on numerous occasions this offseason and it looks like the Steelers are more than convinced that Finley is healthy enough to help in 2014.
According to USA Today’s Tom Pelissero, the Steelers have offered Finley a couple of deals, but it may not be that easy to ink the former Green Bay Packers tight end to a contract.
Finley has a $10 million insurance policy that he can cash in if he misses the first four games of this season.
That alone would suggest he’d be taking a big financial loss if he accepts any kind of contract for less than $10 million guaranteed and he’s not going to get that type of money.
Finley, 27, had his C-3 and C-4 vertebrae fused a month after suffering a spinal contusion Oct. 20 on a hit by Cleveland Browns safety Tashaun Gipson.
While Finley does have medical clearance to play, it makes sense for him to wait and see how the market develops through training camp.
“Pittsburgh have showed me a couple deals, but we all know the money ain’t what it’s supposed to be,” Finley told Pelissero. “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 …”
At the end of the day though the Steelers interest in Finley is peculiar at best.
While he would add another weapon to the Steelers attack and has always been a fantastic athlete, he is not a player with reliable hands and also doesn’t block particularly well, something the Steelers require from their tight ends.
The Steelers do have some money to spend before training camp begins, but while I understand why they have shown interest in Finley, he is coming off a serious injury and is a player that has plenty of question marks attached to him.
Ultimately they would be better off spending that money elsewhere.
Photo Credit: USA Today Sports
