The Steelers don't have a ton of cap, but they do have a decent number of picks. They'll almost certainly get a 3rd round comp next year as well for Wallace.
So they could afford to keep Sanders for a year then use a 3rd or 4th round pick to select his replacement either this year or next.
It's a good move by the Pats - at least for this year.
The only reason the Steelers might not match is that with this 1-year deal, Sanders becomes a UFA next year and can't be controlled at all. He'll go to the highest bidder.
Long-term it likely makes more sense for the Steelers to just...
They don't need to sign him. They just needed to make him the offer, which they did, and account for that offer as part of their cap total this year.
If another team signs him then Pitt. will get their 1st round pick. (and get back $2.7 mill in cap space for this year).
It's not really a "real" offer. It's the minimum amount, mandated by the CBA, that they were required to offer him to secure 1st round compensation if another team signed him as an RFA.
Obviously on a long-term deal they would be willing to offer him more, but Wallace wants to test the market.
I think that was just Mayock speculating on what he'd do if he was Denver's GM and they managed to sign Manning. But who knows - it's possible and they would need a WR.
This seems like the probable scenario at this point. Given the way WR salaries have exploded it seems questionable that any team would give up a cap-friendly 1st rounder plus make a front-loaded offer in the $10-12 million per year range.
So Wallace's options are likely to take a lesser...
Yeah the 1st option is the team's own pick. If they do not have their own pick, then they can give up a better 1st round pick. If they have neither then they cannot make an offer.
It's worded the way it is to prevent a team with, say, the 5th pick, trading down to 32 and then making an offer.
They have talked to him about a new contract. But Wallace and his agent want to see what offers are out there first, which makes complete sense.
Signing him to an extension before last year would have been a bit risky, since he only have one year as a starter.
Their real mistake was...
It wouldn't really be fair to open RFAs up 5 days after FA.
No RFA would get targeted because there's no guarantee a team trying to sign them would actually be able to get them. And a team looking at an RFA would lose out on potential UFAs in the meantime.
I still see Wallace as unlikely...
The thing is both are kind of true. Wallace isn't a great middle of the field guy. He doesn't have great size and doesn't fight for balls. He also doesn't run the tightest routes.
But he does have incredible speed. Even though he isn't a "complete" receiver he's so fast that he will force...
They could, but again, why would Wallace accept a deal like that? He would likely rather take a small risk, make his $2.7 million this year and then get a fat 5-year, $55 million deal next year.
At this point I suspect the Steelers would be happy getting the first and saving the money.
I have a feeling Wallace will be a Steeler this year, get his 2.7 million and get his big money next year as a UFA. With the salaries going out now teams are going to be very hesitant to give up a...
The issue is before these deals I think everyone believed Wallace could be had for 8-9 max on a long-term deal.
With the contracts going out now there's no way he will sign a long-term deal that averages less than 11 or even 12 a year. If no one ponies up, he'll likely just accept his 2.7...
Yes they would gladly match that. But Wallace likely wouldn't sign it. He'd play one year at 2.7 and then be a UFA next year and likely get 10+ per year.
That's about what it would take. And it would need to be front-loaded. 10 million+ in the first year would pretty much guarantee the Steelers let him walk.
It's not an offer. He's an RFA. $2.7 million is the price for a WR getting the 1st round tender.
Wallace has no choice but to take it - unless he gets a better offer. There's really no news - the $2.7 was expected all along since it was the standard 1st round tender offer.
EDIT: Sorry that...
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