GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers have given away the lockers that formerly belonged to defensive linemen Johnny Jolly and Ryan Pickett, but another one of their unsigned free agents, tight end Jermichael Finley, still has his place in the team's locker room at Lambeau Field.
That might not mean much -- if anything -- for any of their futures with the Packers.
But in Finley's case, it's consistent with the organization's message that they have not given up hope of bringing him back if their doctors give it the OK.
"I mean, we all hope for that, that everybody will be fine," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said recently of Finley's status. "We don't know. We'll see."
Both Finley and Jolly have medical issues. Jolly also had neck surgery, but his injury was not as serious as the one Finley suffered in October, when he momentarily lost movement and feeling and was hospitalized for several days.
"I'll say this about Jermichael and Johnny, first and foremost, I just want them to be healthy," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said after last weekend's draft. "And then with that, they're obviously our players and we have strong interest in. We'll see what happens after that. But I'm just being in communication with [team physician] Dr. [Pat] McKenzie and we're watching their health situation."
McCarthy was even more supportive of Finley last week, when he said during an interview on SiriusXM NFL radio: “In my mind he is a Green Bay Packer -- hopefully. He’s going through a tough medical situation. I think we all recognize that it was a serious injury. My understanding is he is doing everything and beyond to get himself ready. We'll continue to watch that."
Rob Demovsky  wrote: