A great read on Wallace, and might make some look different at the situation...

[Slapstick]

Chadman still is waiting for someone to address what he thinks is the bigger issue. The Steelers dumped a whole boatload of money on Antonio Brown as a result of not getting Wallace signed, a year before he became a RFA.

think about that- RFA. that means, in this FA period coming up, they could have retained Brown's playing rights using the TOP tender & only pay him just above $2m.

Instead, he'll cost $6.2 million this season (prior to the now necessary restructure- which will increase his cost next year, and the year after that).

It's not like the FO didn't KNOW how they'd be against the Salary Cap in 2013. Heck- we knew this last season.

So, in what can easily be argued was a direct reaction (over reaction) to Mike Wallace rejecting the Steelers offer, the Steelers invested heavily in a guy with 1 year's success under his belt, at the cost of how many Vets this season who will be cut because the Steelers can't fit under the cap?

It was a BAD business decision.

It's not Wallace's fault. It's not Brown's fault.

The FO screwed up. And Chadman believes it was simply because they had their nose out of joint at not being able to secure Mike Wallace on what the Steelers thought was a good deal.

All good that they secured Brown long term. He could very well be a good WR in the future. 2012 doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in that- although that appears to get overlooked, possibly because he did what many fans think ALL players should do- agree to what the Steelers offer.

But when the Steelers have to draft a rookie WR to replace Wallace, a rookie RB to replace Mendenhall, a rookie OLB to replace Harrison, a rookie ILB to replace Foote, or any other rookie to replace a Vet cut or not re-signed this season because the Steelers can't afford them- just consider how far that $4 difference between $2 RFA tenders & $6.2m contract's to WR's would have gone to not forcing a complete rebuild this season.

Perhaps...

Or, someone could argue that it would have been a worse business decision to go into 2013 with only Jerricho Cotchery under contract...

Think about it...so many people post on this board that, last season, it was fine for Wallace to skip workouts and training camp because "he was not under contract"...fine...

If the Steelers had not signed Brown, he would not be "under contract"...starting in March, Emmanuel Sanders will not be "under contract"...

So, where would the Steelers be if their top three WRs were not under contract, either RFA or UFA? What would happen if, after seeing what Wallace did last year, both Brown and Sanders decided that they didn't feel like coming to any workouts or training camp?

How would the Steelers offense look then?

Having an RFA WR isn't the same thing as having a WR...Mike Wallace proved that to us (and the Steelers) last year...

So, what you call a "bad business decision" because the "FO's nose was out of joint", I call "foresight" and "insurance"....I call NOT signing Brown, "putting your team in a terrible negotiating position" with ANY free agent WR, let alone the guys you drafted...

BAD business decision?

I disagree...

[Chadman]

Perhaps...

Or, someone could argue that it would have been a worse business decision to go into 2013 with only Jerricho Cotchery under contract...

Think about it...so many people post on this board that, last season, it was fine for Wallace to skip workouts and training camp because "he was not under contract"...fine...

If the Steelers had not signed Brown, he would not be "under contract"...starting in March, Emmanuel Sanders will not be "under contract"...

So, where would the Steelers be if their top three WRs were not under contract, either RFA or UFA? What would happen if, after seeing what Wallace did last year, both Brown and Sanders decided that they didn't feel like coming to any workouts or training camp?

How would the Steelers offense look then?

Having an RFA WR isn't the same thing as having a WR...Mike Wallace proved that to us (and the Steelers) last year...

So, what you call a "bad business decision" because the "FO's nose was out of joint", I call "foresight" and "insurance"....I call NOT signing Brown, "putting your team in a terrible negotiating position" with ANY free agent WR, let alone the guys you drafted...

BAD business decision?

I disagree...

The only thing that stopped Wallace from signing his RFA tender was that the Steelers & his agent were committed to signing a long-term deal. His non-signing of the RFA tender was a negotiating tactic.

The reason he didn't get a long-term contract was not because he didn't turn up to camp or sign his tender, but because the numbers Wallace was chasing, long-term, were not what the Steelers were willing to offer.

It would seem 90% of Steeler fans are happy they didn't 'overpay' Wallace.

Fair enough.

Now if, as you suggest, Brown & Sanders were to use the exact same negotiating tactic as RFA's, again- the only reason they wouldn't get signed & report to Camp would be the long-term contract numbers.

So if Brown or Sanders, as RFA's, were not signed, it would be because they were asking for more than what the Steelers were offering. And given how the fans of Pittsburgh were nearly unanimous in their disapproval of Wallace not accepting what he was offered, no doubt if Brown went down that path- the fans would feel the same way.

Thankfully, the board has decided that Brown is, essentially, the anti-Wallace, so he would never have used that tactic, right?

Here are the facts- if Antonio Brown had signed the contract he signed last season, now... he would cost $2.265m against the Cap this season. That's not his RFA tender- that's the Cap number of Year 1 of the contract he signed. As it is, because of the timing of his signing, he'll cost $6.2m in 2013.

Now- the Steelers might restructure Brown this season. His base salary is $2m. He has a $2.5m roster bonus due, as well as around $1.7m signing bonus. What they'll probably do is turn his roster bonus into part of his signing bonus, and then turn a chunk of his salary into a signing bonus. It'll reduce his cap hit in 2013 to around the $3 to $3.5m range. Not the $6.2 he currently will cost.

Good times, right?

Not so for 2014 though. His BASE SALARY jumps to $6m next season. With his 2013 salary & the roster bonus spread out over the remainder of his contract, along with the $1.7m portion of his signing bonus included- Brown could cost closer to $9m next season. And predictions of next years Cap are grim.

The Brown contract, regardless of the timing, was a pretty good one.

But when you include the timing, when you include the Steelers Salary Cap issues- if they could have had Brown's first year numbers of his contract start in 2013- there would be a lot less blood letting on the roster.