Packers tight end Jermichael Finley will be back in Green Bay next season. Let's get that out of the way from the beginning.
The question: Should general manager Ted Thompson lock in the talented, but drop-prone Finley to a long-term contract or should the Packers use their franchise tag on him to see if the 24-year-old can become more consistent before they fully commit to him?
The problem for Thompson is it's not that simple.
Finley wants a long-term contract. He wants to stay in Green Bay. But if the Packers don't oblige, it could become a bad situation for both the team and for Finley as they grapple to define his value through the franchise process, which begins Feb. 22.
Tight ends aren't what they used to be. No longer are they pass catchers only when all of the receivers are covered. The position has evolved. Tight ends like Finley are simply bigger versions of wide receivers.
In 2011, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was sixth in the NFL in receiving yards. Right behind him in seventh was Saints tight end Jimmy Graham. That's two tight ends in the top 10 in receiving yards. That's not the way it used to be.
Although Finley hasn't yet had top-10 success, he's in the mold of Gronkowski and Graham.
Sure, Finley lines up next to the offensive tackles on certain plays and does his share of blocking, but he's also frequently split out wide and covered by a cornerback.
And therein lies the problem.
Though Finley is listed as a tight end, not even coach Mike McCarthy sees him that way entirely.
"He's a tight end, but he also plays the one receiver situation and the No. 2 slot sometimes and plays in the one slot to the three-man side," McCarthy said in his season-ending press conference. "Those are the type of things when playing in a multiple offense, we treat all the perimeter players the same because it's about matchups. They have to play all the positions."
Treating all perimeter players the same? They have to play all the positions? If Finley wants to make a case that he should be viewed as a wide receiver when it comes to negotiating his contract, McCarthy just made the perfect argument for him. So, if Thompson decides to use the Packers' franchise tag on Finley, the issue won't be as simple as welcoming him back on a one-year deal with no questions asked.
At the end of the season, Finley made it clear that he won't accept the franchise tag if it results in getting paid like a tight end. When asked whether he and his agent, Blake Baratz, will make the argument Finley should be classified as a wide receiver, Finley replied: “I guarantee you that's what route we'll go. Hands down.”
Franchised players make the average of the top five individuals at their position — there has been roughly a $4 million split between franchised tight ends and franchised wide receivers in recent offseasons, and this year ($9.4 million to $5.4 million) will be no different.
The wideout argument would be very difficult for Finley to win if Thompson wanted to apply the franchise tag, as no tight end has ever previously challenged what position he plays. But Finley has said he and Baratz would use statistics to show how often Finley lined up wide versus next to the line. If it turns out that Finley was wide more often than next to the tackles, how is he not a wide receiver?
It's a debate Thompson could very well lose. So you can see how this could get ugly. And that's the risk Thompson would be taking in using the tag.
A long-term deal with Finley certainly should be explored. Before his season-ending knee injury in his fifth game in 2010, Finley was on pace to have more than 1,200 receiving yards. Though he didn't look the same in 2011 as he did in his four full games a year earlier, the potential to be something special is clearly there. But if Finley's financial demands are too steep in a multiyear contract compared with what the Packers are willing to offer to a player who hasn't yet had his breakout season, Thompson shouldn't hesitate to use the tag regardless of the fallout.
Keeping him on the roster is priority No. 1, and keeping him at the right price is priority No. 2.
Finley can't be replaced by another one of Green Bay's other four tight ends. Those four don't have Finley's skill set. Plus, Finley has four years of NFL experience already despite being only 24 years old. That's the same age as Ryan Taylor, who just finished his first season.
Even though Finley underperformed in 2011, just having him on the field changed the way opposing defenses defended quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the multi-faceted passing offense.
If the Packers want to see Finley in a Green Bay uniform for one more season with a franchise tag before exploring a long-term contract, that would make the most sense. Finley is the exact type of player the franchise tag was created for — someone who is very talented but has under-performed. If he has a great 2012 season, Thompson can sign him long term a year from now.
But with the franchise-tag period beginning one week, things are just about to get interesting. There could be quite the trendsetting standoff in the NFL's smallest market.
Follow Paul Imig on Twitter.
