Pittsburgh Steelers tender Mike Wallace in hopes of signing him off free agency-NFL News
The Pittsburgh Steelers have decided to tender and take their chances on the wide receiver, Mike Wallace, and in the bid, stand prone to lose the player to another team off the free agency.
Finally, the management has reached a solution, tendering the receiver in the market, instead of assigning him the franchise tag, and thereby, trying to match the offer price on him.
Another team will get an opportunity to take the player on board, but only if Steelers do not opt to match their offered price and re-sign him off the agency.
Some reports have indicated the team’s inability to absorb the tag price of $9.5 million due to pending problem of overspending on players’ salaries, forcing the management to go for the tender option.
Wallace is estimated to have a qualifying price of $2.75 million on the tender, which is well within the parity of their salary cap and actual expenses.
Steelers have expressed the desire of keeping the player for more seasons to come, but they will have to match the tender offer to be able to do so.
The general manager, Kevin Colbert, said of the player’s issue:
"Having a great player like Mike Wallace is not a dilemma. We're going to do everything we can to make sure that Mike Wallace remains a Pittsburgh Steelers and I think that's Mike's belief as well. Usually when you have two parties that share the same
goal, it's easier to achieve that goal."
A section of media claimed during the National Football League (NFL) Scouting Combine that Steelers were weighing to tag in Wallace for another year.
Now, when the deadline (March 05, 2012) for the franchise tag is near, the team has come with an alternative solution for the player, hoping to take him back while remaining aware of the salary cap issue.
Meanwhile, Wallace himself is rather keen to move elsewhere to try his options of attracting better financial terms.
He said:
"[Pittsburgh is] where I would like to be, but we all know that it is a business and you have certain things you have to handle. So if I have to go elsewhere, you know Pittsburgh will always be in my heart, but I have to do what I have to do."
Mike Wallace has become the latest player to have been hit by the team’s austerity measures, while the management is aiming at containing their salary expense.
A day earlier, the management confirmed they were going to release the wide receiver, Hines Ward, in a couple of weeks against his wishes of remaining with the side for more seasons.
They released a cornerback and receiver a couple of weeks before the reports of their decision to waive Ward were made public.
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