Rams release Finnegan in salary-cap move
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_b96ffd32-f5a4-5d3c-9f9e-8f1ba230bf33.html
As the first free agent brought in by new coach Jeff Fisher in 2012, cornerback Cortland Finnegan was to be a cornerstone player of a new-look, new-attitude Rams defense.
Finnegan would play with an edge and bring some of his trademark feistiness to the St. Louis defense. After signing a five-year, $50 million deal, Finnegan was asked where that feisty play came from.
“It may be my Irish side,” Finnegan said with a smile.
For awhile, Finnegan looked like he would be worth every penny of that contract. In his first game as a Ram, he intercepted and returned a Matthew Stafford pass 31 yards for a second-quarter score at Detroit’s Ford Field.
The following week he helped the Rams to their first victory under Fisher, with another interception. But the capper came late in the game, when in vintage Finnegan style, he goaded Redskins wide receiver Josh Morgan into a costly personal foul.
The penalty meant the Redskins had to attempt a 62-yarder to tie the game with just over a minute to play instead of a 47-yarder. Billy Cundiff’s kick fell far short and the Rams escaped with a 31-28 triumph at the Edward Jones Dome.
Finnegan made it three interceptions in three games as a Ram the following week in Chicago.
But the good times didn’t last. With Finnegan bothered by a nagging hamstring injury, his play tailed off in the final month of 2012. He got off to a bad start in 2013, then saw the rest of his season deep-sixed by a fractured orbital bone around his left eye.
Faced with a $6 million base salary and a $10 million cap count for Finnegan in 2014, the Rams decided to part ways. Coach Jeff Fisher and executive vice president Kevin Demoff spoke with Finnegan separately over the past couple of days, informing him he was going to be released.
The official paperwork has not yet been filed to the NFL office but will be within the week.
As soon as that happens, Finnegan’s release saves the Rams $4 million in immediate salary cap money, but it could end up being as high as $7 million in cap savings if Finnegan signs with another club this year. Here’s why:
Finnegan is due a signing bonus of $3 million on the third day of the league year. (The league year begins March 11.) The signing bonus is guaranteed, but in an unusual tweak, the bonus includes offset language.
That means if Finnegan signs with another team for $2 million this year, the Rams get $2 million of that $3 million back in the form of additional cap space. If he signs for $1 million with another team, the Rams get $1 million of cap space back. And so on, up to a maximum of the $3 million bonus.
The Rams don’t always announce player cuts, and when they do, they wait until all the paperwork is filed. With that in mind, Finnegan “broke” the news himself on his Twitter account Wednesday:
“St. Louis thank you for your letting me play for a classy franchise and coach fish nothing but love thank you all. #Motivation”
Fisher later told the Post-Dispatch that the Rams remain interested in re-signing Finnegan at a later date.
“We’ve expressed interest in him coming back to our football team,” Fisher said. “We appreciate what he’s done for us. I know he was personally disappointed the way last year ended up for us. But as we told him, he can help win football games for us next year.”
Implied but not stated is the fact that that will happen only at a much lower rate than Finnegan’s soon to be terminated contract. Compounding matters is the fact that Finnegan currently does not have an agent.
Several Rams were quick to wish Finnegan well on Twitter as word spread of his pending release.
From defensive end Chris Long:
“Farewell to 1 of my favorite teammates I’ve had @CortFinnegan. A tone setter, a great football player and better teammate. Best of luck bro.”
And from quarterback Kellen Clemens:
“CortFinnegan was a pleasure amigo. You’re a credit to the profession and a true pro. You will be missed.”
Finnegan never got out of the gate in 2013. In the season-opening 27-24 victory over Arizona, Finnegan was beaten twice on deep balls and committed two personal fouls.
Always accountable, Finnegan blamed himself after the game.
“Personally, it was a poor performance — period — and I’m not going to make excuses for it,” he said. “If we would’ve lost I would’ve took it solely on me.”
He then suffered the fracture in Game 4 against San Francisco. After missing three games, Finnegan returned to the lineup Oct. 28 against Seattle. But he still suffered from blurred vision and other symptoms, he was placed on the season-ending injured reserve list after appearing in two additional games. The eye injury did not require surgery.
The departure of Finnegan, who turned 30 last month, could make it even more likely that the Rams pursue his former Titans teammate, Alterraun Verner, in free agency — or use a high draft pick on a cornerback.
RAM-BLINGS
The Rams made qualifying offers to three exclusive rights free agents: C Tim Barnes, QB Austin Davis and WR-returner Justin Veltung. They have yet to make such offers to restricted free agent TE Mike McNeill or exclusive rights free agent CB Quinton Pointer. The deadline to do so is Tuesday.