Latest update on Wallace according to Adam Schefter is of course that we won't see Mike Wallace for some time most likely.
Doesn't much matter at this point, the Steelers will move forward with or without him. He's only hurting himself and his teammates by pulling such a pointless stunt.
Rookie minicamps have concluded for all 32 NFL teams. Next up: Organized Team Activities (OTAs), which have kindly been described as "walk-throughs at best." Translation: OTAs are helpful for rookies making the transition from college but not particularly helpful for veterans entrenched with a team or a system.
And if Bruce Arians was still the Steelers' offensive coordinator, it would make the reports that wide receiver Mike Wallace has no intentions of signing his restricted free-agent tender barely newsworthy. But Pittsburgh and Arians parted ways this offseason, coach Mike Tomlin hired Todd Haley as Arians' replacement, and Haley is bringing an entirely new offense with him. Which means that it would be in Wallace's best interests to show up, learn Haley's offense, and let his agent and the organization hammer out the details of a long-term deal.
But just as we wrote on April 11 and April 22, Wallace will take his sweet time signing a one-year tender offer that will pay him $2.7 million in 2012.
As of Tuesday, nothing's changed. At least according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, who said on NFL Live that "it may be awhile" before Wallace shows his face at Steelers' headquarters.
As CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco tweeted in April: "I love when players like Mike Wallace say they won't sign tender offer until they have to. Who's that hurting?"
Especially when there's a shiny new playbook waiting for Wallace. Last week, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was asked what had changed with Haley's offense. “Everything," he said during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Podcast. "The similarities would be on a shorter list. Off the top of my head, from what I've seen so far, there's a 90 percent change.”
But it's Wallace's right to sit on his couch, even if, ultimately, the team holds most of the leverage. If he doesn't sign his tender by June 15, the Steelers could reduce his $2.7 million salary for next season to $577,000, although that isn't expected to happen. General manager Kevin Colbert said in February that the hope is to lock Wallace up long term.
And now that Wallace has made it through free agency without any offer sheets from WR-needy teams, he doesn't have many options. He can sign his tender offer and show up, or he can wait it out at home. For the time being, Wallace has chosen the latter. There is good news though: Antonio Brown, the next great young Steelers wide receiver said way back in March that he was quite certain that Wallace would be playing for Pittsburgh in 2012. So there's that.
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Originally Posted by LatrobePA
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