Veteran NFL cornerback Cortland Finnegan, who announced his retirement in March, is attempting a comeback, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport reports that Finnegan, who has hired Drew Rosenhaus as his agent, would be open to playing either corner or safety.
Finnegan, 31, was one of the league’s worst cornerbacks in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus advanced metrics (subscription required). PFF ranked Finnegan 109th out of 110 qualified corners, with a grade of -19.7 in just seven games. So it came as a bit of a surprise when Miami inked the former Ram to a two-year, $11MM deal in 2014.
Finnegan was a little better for the Dolphins last year, but still placed just 74th out of 108 corners, with a -4.4 grade in 2014, per PFF. Miami released Finnegan before free agency began this year, and the former seventh-round pick retired about a week later.
Any team interested in taking a shot on Finnegan this year will probably have to overlook his 2013 and 2014 numbers, though the veteran defensive back should come cheaper this time around than he has on his last couple contracts. A club that finds itself shorthanded in the secondary due to injuries – perhaps the Giants, for example – might decide to take a flier on Finnegan.
For his part, Rosenhaus isn’t willing to identify any potential suitors yet, telling Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter link) that he’s “working on teams for [Finnegan] right now.”
Go to the bucs, they need help