Around The NFL: St. Louis Rams Release Cornerback Cortland Finnegan

As we approach the precipice of the league's annual free agency kickoff, there are reminders that are thrown out by teams about the pitfalls of being big players in the frenzy. What was once a prized transaction that gave fans dreams of putting them over the top, leaves that same fan base embittered just a couple of seasons later. Such is the case with the St. Louis Rams and veteran cornerback, Cortland Finnegan.

Finnegan reunited with Jeff Fisher before the 2012 season in St. Louis on a mega-deal that was for five years and $50 million. He was set to make $10 million this season, but on Wednesday, the Rams released him just two seasons into that five-year deal. The release saves the Rams $4 million in cap space this season and Finnegan is able to sign with a team as soon as he'd like.

The veteran cornerback actually lived up to the deal in the first year of it, racking up a career-high in tackles and his second-highest interception total of his career. However, up-and-down play and injuries in 2013 began fueling the fire of his potential release this offseason. He just turned 30 years old last month and still likely has a couple of decent years left in him in the NFL, however he shouldn't expect to get paid anywhere near what he was scheduled to receive with the Rams this season.

From a Bengals viewpoint, they very well could be in the market for a cornerback, but they already have some aged veterans in the group. While Finnegan could be a trademark Bengals bargain deal in free agency, the club could choose to go younger and cheaper in this year's draft, where the position group is one of the strongest of the incoming class. However, you slice it, props to Finnegan for a classy tweet where he relayed the news:

St.Louis thank you for your letting me play for a classy franchise and coach fish nothing but love thank you all. #Motivation @AdamSchefter

— Cortland Finnegan (@CortFinnegan) March 5, 2014