Mike Wallace Is A Training Camp Holdout

Remember back before the draft when Mike Wallace was rumored to possibly end up in Cincinnati? The Bengals and many other teams did not want to have to give up a first round pick and pay Wallace big money. Now it appears as if the Steelers are hesitant to give Wallace a big deal. At least until Wallace shows up at camp. Wallace is refusing to come to camp and play under the $2.7 million tender offer from the Steelers in restricted free agency. He wants a long-term extension, but the Steelers refuse to negotiate unless Wallace is in camp.

SB Nation's BehindTheSteelCurtain, lists some possible ways that the Wallace situation could play out. Wallace could agree to come to camp and sign the franchise tender, while trying to work out a deal in the process. He could refuse to sign the tender and not come to camp, in which case Pittsburgh would likely still refuse to negotiate. He could also sign the tender and hope that a new deal is reached at some point during the season. At some point Wallace is going to have to return to Pittsburgh. He has until week 10 to sign the tender. Week 10 is the last time that Wallace can sign the tender, report to the team, and still be considered an unrestricted free agent next season. This is without a doubt causing a headache for head coach Mike Tomlin. But most Bengal fans, including this one, would be perfectly content with Wallace holding out as long as possible.