Would the Steelers Trade Mike Wallace before the draft?

**BlitzburghRockCity** · 04-12-2012, 03:01 PM

It wouldn't be the first time they pulled a manuever like this with a top flight player. They traded Santonio Holmes just before the draft a couple years ago. Could they do it again with the now obviously disgruntled Wallace and his agent Bus Cook going public with his intentions this offseason?

Wallace knows by now nobody is going to sign him to a deal being an RFA. Parting with all that money and a 1st round draft pick is too steep. He's not happy about it that's for sure.

Would the Steelers consider parting with Wallace for say a 3rd round pick, maybe a 4th? He would have to sign his tender offer first though because right now he's technically not under contract and can't work out with the team but the Steelers own his rights. Giving him away for anything less than a 3rd would be ridiculous and pointless.

Something to think about..is it worth it to you to get say a mid round pick and just get rid of the headache he's become? Or do you make him honor the tender, play in 2012 and then try to sign him before the season or after? He's not exactly the worst WR in the league and Ben did talk to Haley and practically begged him to keep Wallace this offseason no matter what.

This article came out today from the Trib's Steel Mill blog, and talks about the possibility of teams being interested in trading for Mike Wallace. Here is part of the article, you can read it in full via the link if u like.

If the Steelers want to keep Mike Wallace, there’s nothing he can do to prevent that.

However, he can try to force the Steelers’ hand to either pay him or trade him.
And that’s exactly what he and his representatives are doing.

Less than 24 hours after a league source told me that a handful of teams are interested in trading for Wallace leading up the NFL draft scheduled for two weeks from today, news leaked that Wallace doesn’t intend on showing up to any of the Steelers’ offseason activities in protest of his first-round tender.

It isn’t by coincidence that the news was leaked that Wallace doesn’t plan to sign his restricted free agent tender by the April 20 deadline only weeks before the draft, it is strategy.

Even though Bus Cook’s plan of planting information that his client would be a major player in the restricted free agent market this year because of the new CBA rule that requires only a first-round pick as compensation rather than a first and a third backfired, that doesn’t mean this tactic won’t.

There was no way that any team would give up a first-round pick for Wallace along with signing him to a lucrative long-term contract on the RFA market, and that became apparent early on.

However, it is very attractive to teams to try to get Wallace via a trade because it would definitely command less than a first-round pick it would’ve cost them on the RFA market.

Also, it is very attractive for Wallace to go to a team that is willing to pay him the excess of $10 million per season he is demanding.

Source

**LatrobePA** · 04-12-2012, 03:09 PM

Hell yea you trade him!

**K Train** · 04-12-2012, 03:17 PM

pretty sure he has to sign his tender to be traded without an offer from another team (which is essentially a trade)

i hope they 1)sign him, 2)stand strong and dont let him bully them, 3)trade and get damn good compensation

trading him for anything less than a first is an epic fail

**BlitzburghRockCity** · 04-12-2012, 03:30 PM

We have yet to hear from Mike Wallace on this so we have to be careful on how much we judge him. His agent though is making sure that everyone knows, or atleast thinks, that Wallace is all kinds of pissed off.

Let's assume that is indeed the case... if I'm the Steelers I'm not going to give in to a 3rd year guy with a gigantic ego and an agent who's telling him to do things that I don't like. The team holds the cards here, they can keep him in Pittsburgh and either he can play or sit. It still costs them the same right now, the 1st round tender.

The business side of you though says that maybe you do consider letting him go, but for nothing less than a 3rd rounder at the absolute minimum. That's the compensation you'd get next year for losing him anyways. Letting him go this year for a 3rd would get rid of the headache he's caused but is that worth it now? This is a deep draft and there are many needs to focus on. None of this 5th round crap that you got for Santonio Holmes. Wallace hasn't been in trouble with the law and has been fine up until this point.

**Nolrog** · 04-12-2012, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by BlitzburghRockCity

Would the Steelers consider parting with Wallace for say a 3rd round pick, maybe a 4th?

The compensatory pick for losing Wallace would likely be a 3rd round pick (based primarily on salary). So anything they trade him for needs to be 3rd or higher.

**coldrolled** · 04-12-2012, 03:35 PM

so if a team signs a wr in the top 27 in the draft. what will they have to pay that player?? and use a first round pick...

so... wallace isnt worth the first and the difference in costs for his guaranteed years of experience?

Plus wallace would be a 0 bust pick right...???

**Njsteelersnut** · 04-12-2012, 03:38 PM

I think if his monetary demands are as high what is being reported, no way are we signing him to a long term deal. So why keep him for a year only to lose him next year and get nothing when he leaves. If we can can a get a pick in any of the top three rounds for him I say go for the trade.

**PITTxPRIDE** · 04-12-2012, 03:45 PM

Im depressed to hear about this but Mike is probably gone acoording to NFL.com

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d...headline_stack

his plans for offseason workouts are pointing twords him being absent...

**Cricker24** · 04-12-2012, 03:46 PM

The first thing that needs to happen is Wallace must sign his tender before any trade can be made. I agree with BRC that you can't give up Wallace for anything less than a 3rd round pick. I probably would lean towards keeping Wallace right now since he has to sign his tender and play this season, otherwise he won't be able to be an UFA in 2013. Also, if Wallace truly wants top dollar like the rumors say, he's gonna have to play well this season or no team will show him the money. Then, if Wallace leaves via free agency after this season, won't the Steelers get a compensatory 3rd round pick in the 2013 draft?

Chris

**BlitzburghRockCity** · 04-12-2012, 04:10 PM

and on the flip side why it wouldn't make sense to trade him...per NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal

Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes:

"What the Steelers have to decide is whether having Wallace for this year is worth losing a possible third or fourth-round draft choice another team is willing to part with in a trade."

This makes no sense. The Steelers should get a third-round compensatory pick if Wallace left in free agency anyhow. So why trade him for that price when you can get a very valuable year out of him first? Kaboly also believes that there's no chance the team would place the franchise tag on Wallace, but there's no way to know that so far in advance.

So there's your arguments both for and against, you decide. If they could trade him for a 3rd round pick this year, it would be the same compensation as next year. Again, all this flurry of BS coming out of the Wallace camp is likely coming from his agent anways. How much does Wallace agree with all this is anybody's guess.