Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan slowly is coming to a sad realization as his sixth season in Tennessee comes to an end: with every passing week, the end of his career as a Titan draws nearer.
Finnegan and the Titans have not been able to agree to a long-term contract extension, and the two sides remain far apart in negotiations. All that means Finnegan could begin his seventh season with a new team and a new city -- a fact that doesn't sit well with a player who wanted to retire a Titan.
"I thought having a daughter was one of the most emotional times in my life," Finnegan told the Tennessean. "But the thought of not being able to put on a Titans uniform again … it is finally starting to hit me that the end is probably near.
"It is like you have three weeks left and they say you are going to be fired, and you don't hear anything leading up to that. You just do the best you can with what you've got. But from history, it doesn't look bright for me here. But I know I can't control that."
Finnegan left training camp for one day this offseason as his camp negotiated with the Titans, and the Tennessean reported there has not been more dialogue with the team and Finnegan's agent, Terry Watson.
"The last home game (next week) is going to be emotional for me because that could very well be the last time I put on a powder blue uniform," Finnegan said. "It is finally starting to hit home that this is a business."
There remains the chance the Titans could opt to franchise Finnegan if no deal is reached, which the Tennessean reported would net the cornerback between $10.2 million and $10.5 million.
"I would be very upset with that. Very upset," he said. "I want to retire here. This is where I started. At the end of the day, if I am not here, there are no hard feelings."
