Pittsburgh Steelers keen on retaining WR Mike Wallace amid thin hopes on higher deal demand-NFL News
Pittsburgh Steelers’ vice president, Art Rooney II, said that the management was keen on retaining wide receiver, Mike Wallace, but given the amount of money the player is demanding from his potential contenders, Steelers’ chances to lock in the player looked
very dim.
Steelers came under fire for assigning the franchise tender to the receiver. The fans are still furious over the management’s approach towards signing him a new deal.
Rooney, in response to the criticism, has come out with the statement that the management was still interested in locking in the player on a long-term deal.
It might not happen, though, because of the player’s demand of a contract worth more than $120 million that Arizona Cardinals’ receiver, Larry Fitzgerald, has received.
The team is least likely to commit anything closer to the amount. The chances for such a hefty payout are even more remote at a time when the team is struggling with the salary cap issue.
As a result of recent cleansing drive in which the team has let go many veterans such as receiver, Hines Ward, a space for about $8 million is created on the pay roster.
Keeping in view the deal, which Wallace is looking for, there is hardly any chance for Steelers’ management to lock in the player to a long-term contract.
Wallace has an opportunity to earn $2.74 million from the tender offer. The team signing Wallace off the free agency will have to relieve their first-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Steelers can also have the opportunity to match the offer from another team and re-sign the player on fresh terms.
Rooney said the management was working on options to take back Wallace. It is unclear if they are going to successfully convince the player to agree to new deal with a relatively low payout.
The vice president said:
"The sooner the better, as far as we're concerned, but there are two parties to it. We'll have to see what we agree on so I don't want to put any particular time frame on it or restrictions on it because these things take time and I wouldn't want to box
myself in on it."
The San Francisco 49ers is the other party said to be interested in the player’s hiring. Some reports have claimed that the team has expressed its desire to offer a contract to him in the near future.
Even though nothing has come out from the possibility of talks between the two parities, 49ers’ move could be well within the wishes of Wallace. The player, in one his statements, reflected on his choice of teams, either 49ers or the New England Patriots.
It is difficult to ascertain if any of those teams will be willing to offer Wallace an amount somewhere near to his demand of $120 million, but he certainly looks as impossibility for Steelers unless they break away from the salary cap concerns.
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