Keenan Lewis is developing into a top-notch CB

[hawaiiansteel]

Who do you give a new $8M contract to? Wallace? Lewis? There is probably only one available.

Greatest need with no Plan B is probably Lewis.

Plan B at CB would be for Cortez Allen to replace Lewis as a starter and for Curtis Brown to take Allen's spot at nickelback.

[papillon]

Who do you give a new $8M contract to? Wallace? Lewis? There is probably only one available.

Greatest need with no Plan B is probably Lewis.

After three good games and multiple years of struggling he'll be commanding 8 million? Hmmm, I think if the Steelers give him a strong offer with good guaranteed money he stays without going the 8 million plus route. Of course, other teams are insane, so a team out there might pay him 8, 9 or 10 million based on the past three games, probably not the Steelers.

The Steelers are going to have problems retaining players next year without cutting some fan favorites that may be playing in their last round-up this year.

Pappy

[Oviedo]

After three good games and multiple years of struggling he'll be commanding 8 million? Hmmm, I think if the Steelers give him a strong offer with good guaranteed money he stays without going the 8 million plus route. Of course, other teams are insane, so a team out there might pay him 8, 9 or 10 million based on the past three games, probably not the Steelers.

The Steelers are going to have problems retaining players next year without cutting some fan favorites that may be playing in their last round-up this year.

Pappy

Hopefully being a "fan favorite" will be meaningless. I'll have zero issues if they let Harrison, Polamalu and Hampton walk. I'd love them to keep Troy but he will have to take a paycut to stay. With our cap situation, the pink slips will have to fly. I'd rather keep and develop the young guys more than get one more good year out of a vet.

Lewis and Wallace are probably the two most important players to retain. I do tend to agree with you that $8M is probably way high for Lewis. Something like 5 years $30M with $12-15 guaranteed should be fair.

[papillon]

Hopefully being a "fan favorite" will be meaningless. I'll have zero issues if they let Harrison, Polamalu and Hampton walk. I'd love them to keep Troy but he will have to take a paycut to stay. With our cap situation, the pink slips will have to fly. I'd rather keep and develop the young guys more than get one more good year out of a vet.

Lewis and Wallace are probably the two most important players to retain. I do tend to agree with you that $8M is probably way high for Lewis. Something like 5 years $30M with $12-15 guaranteed should be fair.

Cutting those guys is easy to say now, but I don't think it's coincidence that the defense has started to play much better since Harrison has been playing the past three games. By the end of the year barring a re-occurrence of an injury he will be the dominant LB that we know, he's getting better each game, IMO. Troy will be a bit easier, since they are thriving without him right now, but be careful what you ask for. Hampton will probably be the easiest to cut and he may play for vet minimum, he's always seemed like a pretty good team guy.

You are probably right about the other two though, their salaries are astronomical and will limit what the Steelers can do for Wallace and Lewis if they don't accept a pay cut of some sort.

Pappy

[RuthlessBurgher]

It will be interesting for sure.

Let's say the team is willing to give Lewis $6 million a year and Wallace $9 million a year.

But maybe Lewis wants $8 million a year and Wallace wants $11 million a year.

Would it be in their best interest to meet Lewis in the middle and give him $7 million a year (we've seen what he gives us in 1 season as a 3rd corner, and a half season so far as a starter) or give Wallace $10 million a year (we've seen what he gives us with his rookie season as the 3rd wideout and a starter ever since). Lewis' 15 passes defensed this year are nice, but he only has 1 career interception (last year), and it may be preferable to spend big money on sure-fire big-impact playmakers (like a guy who has scored 29 TD's in 3.5 seasons, for instance).

[hawaiiansteel]

Hampton will probably be the easiest to cut

Pappy

Hampton is an UFA at the end of this season, we won't need to cut him.

[Oviedo]

It will be interesting for sure.

Let's say the team is willing to give Lewis $6 million a year and Wallace $9 million a year.

But maybe Lewis wants $8 million a year and Wallace wants $11 million a year.

Would it be in their best interest to meet Lewis in the middle and give him $7 million a year (we've seen what he gives us in 1 season as a 3rd corner, and a half season so far as a starter) or give Wallace $10 million a year (we've seen what he gives us with his rookie season as the 3rd wideout and a starter ever since). Lewis' 15 passes defensed this year are nice, but he only has 1 career interception (last year), and it may be preferable to spend big money on sure-fire big-impact playmakers (like a guy who has scored 29 TD's in 3.5 seasons, for instance).

IMO keeping Lewis may be more important than Wallace. Can we afford to have a weak CB opposite Ike when Ike may be on the downward trend of his skills? WR is typically easier to replace than a starting CB.

[flippy]

What if Troy/James are healthy? I'm not buying these guys are easy cuts. Besides Ben, these are our 2 best players if healthy. 1 more year out of either of them could be a chance at 1 more SuperBowl.

With the cap problems we may run into, we better win this year's SuperBowl

[BigRob]

Hampton is an UFA at the end of this season, we won't need to cut him.

Hampton and Foote are URFA. Its going to take a lot more finessing to get under the cap than even last year.

[NorthCoast]

It will be interesting for sure.

Let's say the team is willing to give Lewis $6 million a year and Wallace $9 million a year.

But maybe Lewis wants $8 million a year and Wallace wants $11 million a year.

Would it be in their best interest to meet Lewis in the middle and give him $7 million a year (we've seen what he gives us in 1 season as a 3rd corner, and a half season so far as a starter) or give Wallace $10 million a year (we've seen what he gives us with his rookie season as the 3rd wideout and a starter ever since). Lewis' 15 passes defensed this year are nice, but he only has 1 career interception (last year), and it may be preferable to spend big money on sure-fire big-impact playmakers (like a guy who has scored 29 TD's in 3.5 seasons, for instance).

Ike Taylor averages just about 1.5 INTs per year with only 2 in his first 3 years in the league, but the Steelers saw fit to pay him.