The Facts: As free agency nears, Finley and his agent remain hopeful the tight end will be cleared to play football again relatively soon. Joseph Maroon, the neurosurgeon who performed surgery on the Green Bay Packers tight end’s bruised spine, informed them that there’s a “99.9 percent” chance the fusion will fully heal. At that point, agent Blake Baratz said this week, Maroon would clear Finley for “full football activity.”

Diehards Line:Finley, who is dead-set on playing football again, originally suffered the spinal contusion on Oct. 20 and then had his vertebrae fused. The healing process varies. “In Jermichael's case because of how he has developed and (how) his initial X-Ray looked," Baratz said, "Dr. Maroon believes sometime in the next 4-8 weeks his should fully heal.” Which would be very convenient considering free agency begins March 11. If Finley is cleared and teams are comfortable with him physically -- which would be a team-by-team preference -- Baratz expects an active market. Said the agent, "People forget that he is only 26 years old." It's not clear if the Packers -- given their conservative medical staff -- will pursue Finley. But considering Maroon is a Steelers' team physician, that'd be one potential green light Finley hopes turns into more across the league. Whatever the case, doctors across the NFL could view Finley’s case differently. Finley’s hope is that, after the next evaluation, Maroon would clear him and the floodgates would open. ... We'll be watching for more.