Wallace a no-show; Steelers suspend negotiations July 25, 2012 7:20 pm By Ed Bouchette / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Mike Wallace took another stand when he did not report to training camp on time, and now apparently the Steelers will take one of their own as the contract impasse between the two sides takes a new turn.
The Steelers will suspend negotiations on a multiple-year contract until Wallace signs his one-year tender and reports to the team, a club source said. As a restricted free agent, Wallace was offered a one-year contract worth $2.472 million last March but he remains the only RFA in the NFL who has not signed.
Wallace, who made the Pro Bowl in his third season last year, cannot practice until he is under contract, either by signing the one-year tender or by signing another contract offered by the team that has now been basically rescinded.
Coach Mike Tomlin said after conducting a conditioning test for his players that "this thing" is bigger than Mike Wallace.
"Obviously Mike Wallace was not here today. I don't know when he's going to be here. Obviously we have a desire for him to be here. We want him to be a part of this thing both short term and long term. We've been in negotiations with him. He's not here today. It's unfortunate for him.
Dr. Duran Duran wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jUBbCgMWmE
Truth. Pittsburgh needs to man up, knuckle under, and give Wallace his cash. He's a big part of their offense and I don't see them doing as well without the dynamite he brings to the team. The Birds did it with Shady and DeSean. Take a hint from your cross state amigos Stillers...
Props to Deluxe for the sig There is nothing more frightening than ignorance in action. - Goethe
Wallace likely fighting losing battle Posted: Saturday, July 28, 2012 11:30 pm | Updated: 1:22 pm, Sun Jul 29, 2012. John Mehno Times Sports Correspondent
Maybe Mike Wallace can win a stare-down with the Steelers. Maybe he can beat the 1-in-175,223,310 odds to win the Powerball, too.
The Steelers will open the regular season on Sept. 9 and start making piles of cash again. If Wallace continues his holdout, he’ll be living off his savings. Hard to imagine why Wallace thinks this is a good idea. Wounded pride shouldn’t enter into business negotiations.
The Steelers have been here before. In 1988, they let Mike Merriweather sit out an entire season, then traded him. Merriweather lost a year of income in the prime of his career.
Wallace hadn’t even been born when the Merriweather scenario unfolded, so he probably doesn’t know the history. But the short version is the Steelers operate in a certain way, and don’t make exceptions.
They’d love to have Wallace, but they’ll survive without him. It could be that Wallace’s holdout will force a trade, but the Steelers could just let him sit, too.
The Steelers have all the money and all the leverage.
The Pittsburgh Steelers rebuffed speculation Saturday that the team would seek to trade disgruntled wide receiver Mike Wallace. "Mike Wallace is not available for trade," GM Kevin Colbert told ESPN's Ed Werder.
Wallace, who has yet to sign his $2.472 million restricted free-agent tender, wants a long-term contract and is currently holding out of training camp after negotiations broke off with the team on Wednesday.
The Steelers then turned around and handed No. 2 wide receiver Antonio Brown a five-year, $42.5 million extension on Friday, fueling speculation that the team might trade Wallace before the start of the season.
Wallace caught 72 passes with eight touchdowns last season, averaging 16.6 yards per catch. He has developed into one of the NFL's top deep threats in his three seasons.
I don't know if Wallace will show up for camp. This is a rare situation where the agent is not in control of the negotiations as it was reported that Wallace is pulling all the strings. Seeing Brown get an extension might be enough of a pie face to make him stay home on principle. It'd be wise for him to get to camp and play. Sign the tender and show them what you got, MIke. You are not as good as Larry Fitzgerald. I'm sorry.
Source: Wallace not on trading block for Steelers August 7, 2012 7:23 pm By Gerry Dulac / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Steelers do not expect Mike Wallace to report to training camp before they depart St. Vincent College Aug. 18, but they have no intention of trading their Pro Bowl wide receiver at any point this season, a team source told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Wallace has yet to sign a one-year tender worth $2.7 million and the Steelers have not heard from him since training camp began July 25. However, several players remain in contact with him.
The source also said the Steelers will wait several weeks before they decide if they need to sign a veteran free-agent receiver.
The Steelers feel as though they have been more than fair with Wallace because they did not rescind or reduce his one-year tender in June -- which they were entitled to do under the guidelines of the collective bargaining agreement.
But they told Wallace they will not have any further discussions on a potential long-term contract until he signs his tender and reports to the team.
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