The Rams have moved on from Cortland Finnegan. St. Louis has cut the cornerback in favor of cap relief, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Finnegan was coming off a poor season and had done little to prove he deserved the huge deal he signed just two years ago. He is now among one of the big names on the free agency market and will likely have settle on a one-year deal to prove he can still play at a high level.
Rams will cut cornerback Cortland Finnegan
The veteran cornerback shared the news via Twitter on Wednesday that the Rams will release him after the start of the league year on March 11.
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Career
Finnegan was selected in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Titans. He played in all 16 games as a rookie and collected 70 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. He became a full-time starter in 2007 and had a great year with 95 tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble. He made the Pro Bowl in 2008 when he had 70 tackles, a sack and five interceptions.
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From 2009-2011, Finnegan continued to start for the Titans. He had 238 tackles, three sacks and eight interceptions. That stretch primed him for a big deal with the Rams in the 2012 offseason.
In his first year with St. Louis, Finnegan played in 16 games (15 starts) and produced 101 tackles, a sack and three interceptions. He only last seven games (five starts) in 2013 after suffering an eye injury and was placed on injured reserve. He had just 27 tackles and an interception this past season.
Contract, Salary Cap and Cap Savings
Finnegan signed a five-year, $50 million deal in 2012 with $27 million in guaranteed money. He was set to make a $6 million base salary with a $3 million signing bonus due this offseason. His cap number for the season was $10 million. Finnegan’s departure means that the Rams will save $4 million in cap space. The team had approximately $9 million in cap space prior to releasing Finnegan.
Roster Depth
The Rams are lucky to have two starting cornerbacks on the roster in Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson. Along with those young starters, the Rams also have Brandon McGee at cornerback. The Rams will still likely target another cornerback in May's draft or even in free agency.
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