NFL, Mike Wallace, Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers WR Mike Wallace should feel glad he's alive, but that's not good enough for him. He says he wants more money than Larry Fitzgerald got, despite the fact that Fitzgerald is clearly the better receiver.Now that it's becoming pretty clear that the market for high-priced WRs has dried up and the Steelers don't have the kind of money to shell out a huge contract like that, Wallace is giving signs that he's willing to hold out until he gets more than the $2.7M first-round tender that is currently on the table.
According to ESPN, if Wallace doesn't sign the tender by June 15, the Steelers can cut it to $557,500.
It seems like both the Steelers and Wallace are interested in a long-term deal, but the financial numbers are pretty far apart.
The unfortunate part for Wallace is that the Steelers are really the only team still interested. For any other team to sign him, they'd have to sacrifice a first round pick, which most teams believe is a bit steep for a WR like Wallace.
He's talking big now, but my guess is that Wallace will find some sort of agreement with the Steelers before a holdout is actually necessary. They've got too much leverage, and he really doesn't have much of a choice.
4/23/12 | derms33 | 17284 respect
If you want Paid in Pittsburgh you have to be overrated, you know, like Polamalu and Roethlisberger. Wallace is good, i hope he gets money elsewhere, preferably out of the AFC North
4/23/12 |
kramer
|
10787 respect
He's becoming one hell of a playmaker, but he's not worthy of Fitzgerald money yet. Come back in 5 years and show me you're still playing the way you've been and then we'll talk about that kind of money. I do hope the Steelers sign him long term though, it will pay off in the long run. I think what Mike needs to realize is that he hasn't been in the league long enough to establish himself as a top 5 receiver. He's slowly working his way there if he continues to show what he can do, but as of right now he's not even close.
4/23/12 |
WhoDat12
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2231 respect
Mike Wallace is good, but he shouldn't get Larry Fitzgerald money...not even on Madden.