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Cortland Finnegan

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Cortland Finnegan
refer to caption
Finnegan with the Carolina Panthers in 2015
No. 31, 24, 26, 21
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1984-02-02) February 2, 1984 (age 41)
Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:Milton (Milton, Florida)
College:Samford (2002–2005)
NFL draft:2006: 7th round, 215th pick
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:662
Sacks:7.0
Forced fumbles:5
Pass deflections:87
Interceptions:18
Defensive touchdowns:6
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Cortland Temujin Finnegan (born February 2, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Samford Bulldogs, and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL draft.[1] Finnegan was also a member of the St. Louis Rams, Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints. He was a Pro Bowler in 2008.

Early life

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Finnegan attended Milton High School in Milton, Florida, where he starred as a safety and tailback, earning second-team All-State as a senior in 2002. He caught 22 passes for 403 yards, and also averaged 3.4 yards per rush and scored three rushing touchdowns. On defense, Finnegan recorded 65 tackles.

College career

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During his sophomore year, Finnegan was named first-team All-OVC, third-team All-OVC as returner, third-team All-American by Sports Network and earned Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors, while starting every game. Finnegan totaled team and career-high 108 tackles, three tackles for loss, career-high three interceptions, eight passes defensed and two fumble recoveries, and he also returned 21 kickoffs for 577 yards (27.5 avg.) and one touchdown.

As a junior, Finnegan was named first-team All-OVC, while starting every game at free safety. He led his team with 86 tackles, two tackles for loss, three interceptions (tied career-high), two passes defensed and one fumble forced. Finnegan also returned 11 kickoffs for 286 yards (26.0 avg.).

During his senior year at Samford, Finnegan was named first-team All-American by NFL Draft Report, first-team All-American by American Football Coaches Association and first-team All-OVC for third consecutive year. He started every game at free safety and led team with 98 tackles for third consecutive season and added two tackles for loss, one interception, seven passes defensed, one fumble forced and one fumble recovery. Cortland Finnegan ranked first in OVC conference with 15.1 punt return average, while returning 14 punts for 212 yards and one touchdown. Ranked second in OVC conference with 25.1 kickoff return average on 15 returns for 376 yards.

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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Playing at FCS school Samford, Finnegan was very much unnoticed and overlooked in the 2006 NFL draft. He displayed good speed at Samford's Pro Day, but lacked ideal height and was deemed a shaky tackler.[2] Sports Illustrated projected that Finnegan would go undrafted.

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 9+7⁄8 in
(1.77 m) 		188 lb
(85 kg) 		4.34 s 4.34 s 6.95 s 44 in
(1.12 m)		 10 ft 8 in
(3.25 m)		 14 reps
All values from Pro Day.[3]

Tennessee Titans

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The Tennessee Titans selected Finnegan in the seventh round (215th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft. He was only the third player to be drafted from Samford and was the first player to be selected from Samford in 37 years since Gary Fleming in 1969. He was the 18th cornerback selected in 2006.

2006

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On July 17, 2006, the Tennessee Titans signed Finnegan to a three—year, $1.22 million rookie contract that included a signing bonus of $42,875.[4]

Throughout training camp, he competed to be the No 2. starting cornerback against Reynaldo Hill, Eric King, Andre Woolfolk, and Michael Waddell. Head coach Jeff Fisher named Finnegan the starting nickelback and listed him as the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind starting cornerbacks Adam "Pacman" Jones and Reynaldo Hill.

On September 10, 2006, Finnegan made his professional regular season debut and made an immediate impact in the Tennessee Titans' home-opener against the New York Jets, making six combined tackles (five solo), one pass deflection, and had his first career sack on Chad Pennington for a seven–yard loss that caused a fumble that was recovered by defensive tackle Randy Starks and led to the game-tying touchdown and two-point attempt to tie the game 16–16 on the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, the Titans would have a fail at their late comeback attempt and lost 23–16 to the Jets.[5] On October 15, 2006, Finnegan earned his first career start as a nickelback and recorded four combined tackles (three solo) during a 25–22 victory at the Washington Redskins.[6] In Week 11, he started in place of Reynaldo Hill as the No. 2 starting cornerback and set a season-high with 11 combined tackles (eight solo) and made two pass deflections during a 31–13 victory at the Philadelphia Eagles.[7] On December 17, 2006, Finnegan recorded three solo tackles and scored the first touchdown of his career after he recovered a fumble linebacker David Thornton caused while sacking David Garrard and returned it 92–yards for a touchdown as the Titans defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 24–17.[8] He finished his rookie season with 70 combined tackles (55 solo), seven pass deflections, two sacks, one fumble recovery, s forced fumble, and scored one touchdown in 16 games and two starts.[9]

2007

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On April 10, 2007, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced that Adam "Pac-Man" Jones would be suspended for the entire 2007 NFL season due to multiple off-the-field incidents and arrests. In order to find his replacement, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz had Finnegan compete against Reynaldo Hill, Nick Harper, and Kelly Herndon. Head coach Jeff Fisher named Finnegan a starting cornerback to begin the season, pairing him with Nick Harper.[10]

On September 9, 2007, Finnegan started in the Tennessee Titans' season-opener at the Jacksonville Jaguars and recorded five combined tackles (three solo) and set a season-high with three pass deflections during their 13–10 victory.[11] In Week 2, Finnegan made seven combined tackles (five solo), a pass break-up, and made the first interception of his career on a pass attempt thrown by Peyton Manning to wide receiver Reggie Wayne during a 22–20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.[12] On November 25, 2007, he set a season-high with ten combined tackles (eight solo) during a 6–35 loss at the Cincinnati Bengals. He started in all 16 games for the first time in his career and finished the season with a total of 95 combined tackles (79 solo), 13 pass deflections, one sack, and one interception.[9]

The Tennessee Titans finished with a 10–6 record in 2007 and earned playoff birth while placing third in the AFC South. On January 6, 2008, Finnegan started in the first playoff game in his career and recorded eight combined tackles (six solo), made one pass deflection, one sack, and intercepted a pass thrown by Phillip Rivers to wide receiver Chris Chambers as the Titans lost the AFC Wild-Card Game 6–17 at the San Diego Chargers.[13]

2008

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On August 15, 2008, the Tennessee Titans' signed Finnegan to a four—year, $16.80 million contract extension that included $8.50 million guaranteed and an initial signing bonus of $4.00 million.[4][14] Head coach Jeff Fisher retained Finnegan and Nick Harper as the starting cornerbacks to begin the season.

"He’s always trying to strip the ball from you or something like that. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I think for him it’s good, because at times he can irritate you. Other than that, I think he’s a good player. I think he plays real hard. The crazy thing about it is he doesn’t really talk. He just goes out and plays and he’s not going to say much, he’s just out there playing and he’s playing hard.”[15]

(His opinion on Cortland Finnegan 2008)

On September 8, 2008, Finnegan started in the Tennessee Titans' home-opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars and recorded five solo tackles, three pass deflections, and set a season-high with two interceptions on passes thrown by David Garrard during their 10–17 victory. His Week 1 performance earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career.[16] The following week, he made four combined tackles (three solo), one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by Carson Palmer to wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh during a 24–7 victory at the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2.[17] On September 21, 2008, Finnegan recorded six combined tackles (three solo), made two pass deflections, and had his first career pick-six after intercepting a pass by Matt Schaub to wide receiver Andre Johnson at the goal-line and returning it 99–yards for a touchdown at the end of the fourth quarter as the Titans defeated the Houston Texans 31–12.[18] In Week 5, he set a season-high with eight combined tackles (six solo) during a 13–10 victory at the Baltimore Ravens. In Week 12, Finnegan made five solo tackles, one pass break-up, and set a career-high with his fifth interception of the season by intercepting a pass that was thrown by Brett Favre to wide receiver Laveranues Coles as the Titans lost 13–34 against the New York Jets.[19] This loss to the Jets ended the Titans 10–game undefeated streak. He started all 16 games for the second consecutive season and finished with a total of 69 combined tackles (57 solo), one sack, one fumble recovery, and scored one touchdown.[20] He set career-highs in pass deflections (17) and interceptions (5).[9] On December 16, 2008, the NFL named Finnegan to the 2009 Pro Bowl, marking his first and only Pro Bowl of his career.

2009

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He returned as the No. 1 starting cornerback to begin the season, along with Nick Harper. Head coach Jeff Fisher named Finnegan and Nick Harper the starting cornerbacks to start the regular season with Cary Williams and Jason McCourty as the primary backups.[21]

Finnegan at the 2009 Pro Bowl

On-field incidents

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In September 2010, Finnegan was fined $5,000 for throwing New York Giants wide receiver Steve Smith to the ground by his helmet.[22] In October 2010, Finnegan was fined $10,000 for unnecessary roughness after hitting Denver Broncos guard Chris Kuper after Kuper's helmet was off. After this incident, the NFL warned Finnegan that similar infractions in the future would lead to increased discipline.[23] On November 28, 2010, Finnegan got into an altercation with Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson during a play. Finnegan lost the fight. He and Johnson were ejected from the game, and each subsequently fined $25,000.[24]

St. Louis Rams

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Finnegan signed a five-year, $50 million ($27 million guaranteed) deal with the St. Louis Rams on March 13, 2012.[25] Following his former coach, Jeff Fisher, from the Titans to the Rams.

In Week 1, in his first game with the St. Louis Rams, against the Detroit Lions, Finnegan intercepted a Matthew Stafford pass and returned it for a touchdown.

In Week 2, against the Washington Redskins, Finnegan was able to draw a penalty against Redskins receiver Josh Morgan in the closing seconds. The 15-yard penalty turned what would've been a game tying 47-yard field goal attempt into a 62-yard attempt. The attempt was no good and St. Louis recorded its first victory of the year.[26]

On October 26, Finnegan was fined $7,875 for grabbing Green Bay Packers receiver Jordy Nelson's facemask in Week 7.[27]

On March 5, 2014, it was announced Finnegan would be released from the St. Louis Rams at the beginning of the new league year.[28]

Miami Dolphins and initial retirement

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On March 14, 2014, Finnegan signed with the Miami Dolphins. After totaling 44 tackles but no interceptions, he was released by the team on March 2, 2015.[29]

On March 11, 2015, Finnegan announced his retirement from the NFL.[30]

Carolina Panthers

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Finnegan (left) and Kurt Coleman playing for the Panthers in 2015.

Finnegan came out of retirement after less than a year, signing a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers on November 30, 2015.[31] In five games Finnegan played in the regular season, he recorded 18 tackles. The Panthers defeated the Seahawks and Cardinals to reach Super Bowl 50, marking Finnegan's first championship appearance. In the Super Bowl, Finnegan recorded four tackles.[32] However, the Panthers fell to the Denver Broncos by a score of 24–10.[33]

New Orleans Saints

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Finnegan signed with the New Orleans Saints on August 12, 2016, but was released by the team on September 6.[34][35]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2006 TEN 16 2 70 55 15 2.0 2 0 0 0 0 7 1 2 92 1
2007 TEN 16 16 95 79 16 1.0 3 1 14 0 14 13 1 0 0 0
2008 TEN 16 16 69 57 12 1.0 4 5 100 1 99 17 0 0 0 0
2009 TEN 13 13 63 56 7 0.0 0 5 194 1 80 11 0 1 0 0
2010 TEN 16 16 100 82 18 1.0 4 2 41 1 41 9 1 0 0 0
2011 TEN 16 16 75 58 17 1.0 6 1 8 0 8 11 0 1 0 0
2012 STL 16 15 101 83 18 1.0 3 3 68 1 32 9 1 0 0 0
2013 STL 7 5 27 23 4 0.0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
2014 MIA 12 12 44 33 11 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 8 1 1 50 1
2015 CAR 5 0 18 15 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
133 111 662 541 121 7.0 23 18 426 4 99 87 5 5 142 2

Playoffs

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2007 TEN 1 1 8 6 2 1.0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0
2008 TEN 1 1 2 1 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
2015 CAR 3 0 14 6 8 0.0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
5 2 24 13 11 1.0 0 2 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0

Personal life

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Finnegan is the youngest son of Robert Grant and Linda Finnegan. He has an older sister, Lela, but their older sister Felicia died when she was eight years old from congenital Down syndrome, about a decade before Cortland was born.[36]

Finnegan is married and has a daughter, who is named after both Finnegan's sister and a girl he met while she was battling synovial sarcoma.[36]

In 2010, Finnegan became a member of School of the Legends (SOTL), an online community and partner of the NFLPA.[37] SOTL's headquarters are located in Nashville, Tennessee. He also became Titans' Community Man of the Year due to his fundraising efforts and the establishment of ARK 31, a non-profit charity for children with disabilities and special needs.[36][38]

References

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  1. ^ "2006 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  2. ^ "2006 NFL Draft – Cortland Finnegan". SI.com. April 4, 2006. Archived from the original on May 15, 2006.
  3. ^ "Cortland Finnegan, DS #25 CB, Samford". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Spotrac.com: Cortland Finnegan contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  5. ^ "New York Jets at Tennessee Titans — September 10th, 2006". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  6. ^ "Tennessee Titans at Washington Redskins — October 15th, 2006". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  7. ^ "Tennessee Titans at Philadelphia Eagles — November 19th, 2006". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  8. ^ "Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans — December 17th, 2006". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c "Pro-Football-Reference: Cortland Finnegan Career Overview". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  10. ^ "Ourlads.com: Tennessee Titans Depth Chart (09/02/2007)". Ourlads.com. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  11. ^ "Pro-Football-Reference: Cortland Finnegan Game Logs (2007)". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  12. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans — September 16th, 2007". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  13. ^ "Wild Card — Tennessee Titans at San Diego Chargers — January 6th, 2008". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  14. ^ Associated Press (August 15, 2008). "CB Finnegan, Titans agree to two-year extension". ESPN. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  15. ^ Associated Press (September 13, 2008). "Titans' Finnegan Keeping the Charter at a Minimum". NYTimes.com. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  16. ^ "Finnegan Named AFC Defensive Player of the Week". titansradio.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2008.
  17. ^ "Tennessee Titans at Cincinnati Bengals — September 14th, 2008". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  18. ^ "Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans — September 21st, 2008". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  19. ^ "New York Jets at Tennessee Titans — November 23rd, 2008". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  20. ^ "Pro-Football-Reference: Cortland Finnegan Game Logs (2008)". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  21. ^ "Ourlads.com: Tennessee Titans Depth Chart: 09/06/2009". Ourlads.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  22. ^ "Cortland Finnegan fined $5,000". ESPN. October 1, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  23. ^ "Cortland Finnegan's hit draws $10K fine". ESPN. October 8, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  24. ^ "Andre Johnson, Cortland Finnegan fight". ESPN. January 1, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  25. ^ "Rams do five-year, $50 million with Cortland Finnegan". ProFootballTalk.com. March 13, 2012.
  26. ^ "Dallas Cowboys Week 2 Review: Where We Stand". DallasCowboys101.com. September 17, 2011. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  27. ^ "Fines roundup: Alphonso Smith docked for horse-collar tackle". National Football League. October 26, 2012. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
  28. ^ "Sources: Finnegan told of release by Rams". ESPN.com. March 5, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  29. ^ Hanzus, Dan (March 2, 2015). "Cortland Finnegan cut after one season with Dolphins". NFL.com. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  30. ^ Patra, Kevin (March 11, 2015). "Cortland Finnegan announces he will retire". NFL.com. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  31. ^ Henson, Max (November 30, 2015). "Panthers Sign CB Cortland Finnegan". Panthers.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  32. ^ "Super Bowl 50 - National Football League Game Summary" (PDF). NFL.com. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  33. ^ "Super Bowl 50 - Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers - February 7th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  34. ^ "Veteran corner Cortland Finnegan signs with Saints". NFL.com. August 12, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  35. ^ Alper, Josh (September 6, 2016). "Saints release Cortland Finnegan". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  36. ^ a b c E:60 – Cortland Finnegan on YouTube
  37. ^ "Veteran Running Backs Offer Rookies Advice in Exclusive School of the Legends Interview". Business Wire. June 3, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  38. ^ "The Cortland Finnegan ARK 31 Foundation". Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
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