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Tight end Jermichael Finley says he has agreed to a new deal with the Green Bay Packers.
Finley posted a message on his Twitter account Wednesday night appearing to confirm reports that he has agreed to return to the team.
Finley wrote, “I could not be happier to have the privilege of being a Packer for the next 2 yrs. Glad to be back with my team & coaches for 1 common goal."
Finley will earn $5.75 million this year and $8.25 million in 2013, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
He will earn $10.2 million of it -- or more than two-thirds -- in the next 13 months.
The key was retaining a playmaker for Aaron Rodgers who can help control the middle third of the field. But as Pro Football Weekly suggested, Finley needs to overcome injuries and inconsistent hands to reach his potential.
Still, that potential is immense.
There had been speculation that the Packers might use their franchise tag on Finley, but now that won't be necessary -- and it eliminates what might have been a very contentious situation.
As National Football Post staffer Brad Biggs explained, Finley and the Packers had been at odds at where he should qualify for the franchise tag. The team believed he should be a tight end which would have cost roughly $5 million to place the tag on.
Finley believed, because of the way he is deployed, he should have counted $9 million. They found common ground in the middle.
The deal opens up the possibility of the Packers using their franchise tag on either center Scott Wells or even backup QB Matt Flynn, whom they could conceivably sign with the intention of trading him.
Tagging Flynn would cost the Packers $14.4 million and it would come with considerable risk.
As Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio explained, if the Packers tag Flynn and no one strikes a deal for his services, he’ll make nearly $6 million more in 2012 than Rodgers, the defending NFL MVP.
Nonetheless, Florio believes there are two factors that could nudge the Packers toward doing it.
First, with former Green Bay offensive coordinator Joe Philbin now the head coach in Miami, the Packers know (or at least should know) whether Philbin truly wants Flynn. If he does, the two teams should be able to work out a trade.
Second, tagging him and trading him to the Dolphins would keep him away from one of the NFC teams, like the Seahawks or the Redskins.
Whatever the case, it's safe to assume the Packers will not tag Flynn if they aren't confident a deal -- with somebody -- can be done. ... Stay tuned.