Wide receiver Mike Wallace on chance to win long-term deal from Pittsburgh Steelers-NFL News
Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Wallace, who is a restricted free agent, can still avail an opportunity of winning a long-term deal from the team provided he shows some flexibility in negotiations of financial terms of his deal.
Wallace has the deadline of Friday, April 20, 2012, on his tender to sign with any other team around the National Football League (NFL) off the free agency.
His move to elsewhere in the NFL now looks uncertain with almost a day left to the deadline. So far, no team has been linked to interest for pursuing the player off the free agency.
The San Francisco 49ers, who had earlier been reported to be interested in weighing the player, have backed off.
It is Wallace’s demand of an expensive contract that has pushed away even more ambitious parties from his potential signing.
The player is said to be looking for a contract of worth more than $120 million, which wide receiver, Larry Fitzgerald, has signed with the Arizona Cardinals. Fitzgerald’s deal spans over eight years.
Wallace has not signed the tender with Steelers so far, and has the deadline of June 15 to either accept it or else the management can reduce his payout up to 110 percent of his past year’s salary. They will still have the exclusive rights for him.
The current value of the tender assigned to Wallace is $2.5 million. However, he is demanding a long-term deal from the team and as a protest has not signed the tender.
Pittsburgh Steelers’ president, Art Rooney II, had earlier hinted at signing of a multiyear deal with Wallace but apparently negotiations around the topic have not started yet.
Again, it is said to be the player’s demand of a hefty deal that has left Steelers in a difficult situation. It is less likely they will offer him a deal as expensive as of Fitzgerald, let alone going higher than it.
In case the player continues to show reluctance to sign the tender, he stands losing more than gaining anything out of the delay.
Steelers’ management, in the meantime, remains hopeful of reaching an amicable solution.
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