Pittsburgh Steelers GM Kevin Colbert spoke to reporters at the 2012 NFL Combine on Thursday and to no one's surprise the biggest topic of conversation was the future of wide receiver Mike Wallace, who is a restricted free agent.
Steelers GM Hopes To Keep Mike Wallace One Way Or Another
Colbert sounded optimistic that he would be able to keep Wallace with the team in 2012. The team plans to place a first round tender on him but didn’t rule out using the franchise tag either.
Reports have said there is some concern among the Steelers organization that they could lose Wallace in restricted free agency.
The new CBA brought along with it some tweaks to the restricted free agency system. Instead of the first and third round tender, the highest tender is now just a first round, which has the Steelers concerned that if they tendered Wallace, another team could legitimately scoop in and offer him a deal the Steelers can’t match.
The Steelers, if they tendered him, would have the option to match any contract offer he receives. But with the salary cap issues, there are concerns they may not have enough cap space to do so. Still, Colbert talked as if Wallace would be back with the team next season.
For more on the Steelers, visit SB Nation’s Steelers blog, Behind The Steel Curtain.
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