Finley is due a roster bonus next March. That’s not guaranteed; it’s conditional as he has to be on the roster to collect it. Although it involved a lot of money, Finley signed a contract favorable to the Packers – just a two year deal including guarantees for just one. In exchange, the Packers agreed to the roster bonus so they have to decide before (or at) the beginning of the UFA period next year whether to pay it or not. That gives Finley the leverage of becoming a UFA and offering his services to any NFL team. As I understand it, a roster bonus is different than a signing bonus as it isn’t prorated: IOW the roster bonus due Finley is entirely voidable in both actual payment and with regard to cap consequences. What happens many times in this situation if the team wants to retain the player due such a bonus is the team and player agree to a long-term contract with a signing bonus that is prorated, thus lessening the cap ramifications for the team and providing multi-year security for the player. Because of the need to extend Rodgers, Matthews, Raji, and perhaps Jennings it doesn’t look to me like that’s going to happen.
Finley is one of the least popular Packers among Packers fans but IMO he deserves credit for agreeing to this contract which is, in effect, a one year bet on himself.