Cortland Finnegan to Lions: Why Ex-Titans CB Would Look Good in Detroit

If money was no object, there is one free-agent name that sits atop the board in the Detroit Lions war room, that name is Finnegan—Cortland Finnegan.

The 5’10”, 190-pound ex-Titan cornerback is at the top of head coach Jim Schwartz’s wish list with only days left until the free agency sweepstakes begins. The question is not a matter of talent or fit, but rather if Detroit can sign him.

Cortland Finnegan is Jim Schwartz’s kind of player—a hard-nosed cover corner that comes up and plays the run tough with a less-than-angelic reputation.

He played for Schwartz when Jim was the DC in Tennessee, and definitely is the kind of player he values. In 2007, Jim Schwartz referred to Cortland as the Tennessee Titans' “unsung hero,” high praise when you consider that team had Keith Bulluck and two defensive Pro Bowlers in Kyle Vanden Bosch and Albert Haynesworth.

Drafted in the seventh round with pick No. 215, Finnegan has always played with a chip on his shoulder. It’s this sense of disrespect that pushes Finnegan to play on the edge of dirty, while using his slight frame relentlessly with a Napoleon complex persistence.

Playing 1,142 defensive snaps in 2011, no other player on the Titans roster played more than Finnegan. This is not only a testament to his ability, but also to his durability; he’s only missed three games in his six-year career.

Does Schwartz like Finnegan? Nope. He loves him, as 50 Cent would say, “like a fat kid love cake.”

The question is whether Detroit has enough frosting to cover the Buddy Valastro-sized cake Finnegan is looking for.

Finnegan’s agent, Terry Watson, is reported to be looking for a contract worth approximately $10 million per year, similar to the deal Johnathan Joseph got from the Houston Texans last year.

Although he is an above-average cover corner, with the ability to stay out on an island or come inside and cover a quick slot receiver like Victor Cruz, there will be few teams willing to put that type of money in Finnegan’s pocket.

Those types of deals are for corners that can shut down an entire side of the field. Finnegan has all the intangibles a coach could want in a player, but that doesn’t make him an elite cover corner.

We all know the Lions' salary cap issues, they are in no position to overpay. But if Finnegan values Schwartz’s system and chooses a winning environment over the optimal contract, it’s possible a deal gets done.

Finnegan has always been a community guy, establishing his own foundation ARK31 for children with special needs and disabilities in Tennessee. 

With his commitment both on and off the field to the Nashville area, he was hurt that the Titans did not franchise him. Further, as he stated to the Tennessean, they never even offered him a contract.

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"But they wanted to move on. ... I don't know why, and I don't know what else a guy could do career-wise and in the community. But that's part of the business, and you have to move on. I'll have great memories of my time with the Titans. It just didn't work out."

"The Titans told us they were not going to offer us a deal this year, so that is pretty black and white to me. They didn't franchise me. So this is all on the Titans; there is nothing that we could decline and say no to. It just baffles me that we never got anything from them. I don't know what I did to turn them off on me. I felt I did everything I could do,"

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These do not appear to be the words of a bitter prima donna, but rather a disheartened man looking for a new place to set roots and call home.

Finnegan has been on a team with a losing record only once in his career, is he ready to suffer through a 10- or 12-loss season for a few extra bucks? Could the Lions get Finnegan into a four- or five-year deal and backload the contract with guaranteed money to take advantage of the salary cap increase in 2014 when the new television deal kicks in?

The answer to both is maybe. You can never criticize a man for trying to make as much money as he can, and as far as structuring a cap-friendly contract, if the Lions can get Calvin Johnson to sign a long-term deal, anything is possible.

What will be probable is Jim Schwartz sitting in a rental car somewhere in the Nashville area as free agency begins, looking to snare another one of his former Titan players. Only this time, the pitch will need to be much more creative.

There's a reason Cortland wears a "C" on his jersey, and Schwartz knows that better than most. Finnegan could begin again in the Motor City if Cortland still has love for Jim. I'm sure it won't take 21 questions to find out.