Jermichael Finley, San Francisco 49ers have been in talks

Former Green Bay Packers star tight end Jermichael Finley has a difficult decision to make, because he can either play and potentially risk his career after suffering a scary neck injury last season, or take the safe route and bow out with a $10 million insurance policy that can’t be taxed. It’s a difficult decision for Finley, and it’s one of personal pride. He’s still talking with teams and trying to see what’s out there, but he stated that talks with the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t yielded any satisfactory offers.

The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots showed interest in adding Finley in the spring, but both of those teams have cooled their interest to seemingly “no interest” at this point. Finley was very close to signing with the Seahawks, but a failed physical ensured that Zach Miller would be safe in Seattle.

Yesterday, Scout.com’s Chris Biderman tweeted that ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the San Francisco 49ers and Jermichael Finley have been in talks. It’s unclear how deep these talks are, but the 49ers are most likely just kicking the tires on Finley. They already have Vernon Davis, who is unwisely trying to leverage himself against the team for more money (he has absolutely no leverage or grounds for this, but I guess it’s worth the try), and second-year pro Vance McDonald, as well as plenty of talent at WR after an active offseason. McDonald has major issues with drops, but the 49ers aren’t going to give up on him yet. Beyond that, there doesn’t seem to be much room for Finley in their offense, and, again, they already added enough pass-catching talent this offseason.

That said, it is an interesting idea to kick around, and Finley can definitely help any team if he’s healthy. Nowadays, we’re seeing more teams stock up at tight end, and there are organizations like the Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, and Detroit Lions that have three very good TEs on their roster. At this point, though, it looks like a reunion between the Green Bay Packers and Jermichael Finley makes the most sense, unless if the Packers decide they like promising rookie Richard Rodgers and Andrew Quarless too much to add another joker TE to their stacked arsenal of weapons.