Jermichael Finley is waiting for his phone to ring. The tight end has been sitting on the free agent market with only a small amount of interest regarding him. Finley continues to stress that he will be healthy enough to play in the 2014 season after suffering a career-threatening neck injury, but so far no NFL team believes him until a doctor report is released. However if healthy, the Green Bay Packers say they will be first in line to sign him.
The Packers have not shown much interest in their former tight end after he was injured mid-way through the season during a contract year. Finley underwent major neck surgery in the offseason, a similar procedure to what quarterback Peyton Manning went through a few years ago. He missed an entire season while healing from the spinal fusion procedure and many expect Finley to do the same. However, the tight end stresses that he will be healthy despite already failing on physical for the Seattle Seahawks. Scheduled to undergo more X-rays and tests, many teams will not give him a second glance until things check out.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Packers are all for bringing Finley back if he checks out healthy. General manager Ted Thompson said he would not rule out the possibility of the tight end coming back to Green Bay even though the team drafted Richard Rodgers in the third round. Thompson said that he holds out hope that Finley will be healthy and can return to the field sooner rather than later.
The Packers might not be the only team interested in Finley is his recent medical tests come back better. The Seattle Seahawks might still be willing to give him another chance while the Miami Dolphins are still needing a tight end to round out their roster. The New England Patriots are still in the market for a backup to Rob Gronkowski who could also be a potential starter.
Finley will be competing for attention with fellow veteran Dustin Keller who appears to be the healthier of the two. Keller also suffered a season-ending knee injury where he tore his ACL, MCL and PCL. The veteran is also stressing that he is healthy and ready to play, earning a visit but no contract from the Patriots. If Finley does not check out after this recent round of tests, interest in Keller will skyrocket.
