Wallace officially a no-show; Steelers suspend negotiations

[hawaiiansteel]

Wallace a no-show; Steelers suspend negotiations

July 25, 2012
By Ed Bouchette / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



Mike Wallace, reaching for a catch in a game last season against Seattle.

Mike Wallace took another stand when he did not report to training camp on time, and now apparently the Steelers will take one of their own as the contract impasse between the two sides takes a new turn.

The Steelers will suspend negotiations on a multiple-year contract until Wallace signs his one-year tender and reports to the team, a club source said. As a restricted free agent, Wallace was offered a one-year contract worth $2.472 million last March but he remains the only RFA in the NFL who has not signed.

Wallace, who made the Pro Bowl in his third season last year, cannot practice until he is under contract, either by signing the one-year tender or by signing another contract offered by the team that has now been basically rescinded.

The stance of ending negotiations for a holdout has been taken by the team before, most recently when Hines Ward held out for the first two weeks of the 2005 training camp. However, Ward had one year left on his contract at the time and was pressing for a new one. After ending his holdout, negotiations resumed and he received a four-year extension three weeks later.

Steelers president Art Rooney II declined comment on the situation Wednesday during a press conference to formally announce the signing of first-round draft choice David DeCastro. In June, Rooney told the Post-Gazette, regarding Wallace's absence from all spring activities, "He should be here."

[URL]http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/wallace-a-no-show-steelers-suspend-negotiations-646152/#ixzz21eyCjtyH[/URL]

[Shawn]

I suspect this won't end well. By history, Wallace knew if he didn't show the Steelers would stop talking. Therefore, I must assume he is more than posturing.

[phillyesq]

Perhaps this is cockeyed optimism, but I have a feeling that a Wallace deal gets worked out in the next week or two, or that, at a very minimum, he reports to camp.

[Oviedo]

If he doesn't report they should be done talking. When he is on the field then he earns the right to negotiate.

[Slapstick]

If he doesn't report they should be done talking. When he is on the field then he earns the right to negotiate.

The Steelers won't negotiate until he reports...

In the meantime, Emmanuel Sanders will take over the X (Split End) for Wallace...

[Oviedo]

The Steelers won't negotiate until he reports...

In the meantime, Emmanuel Sanders will take over the X (Split End) for Wallace...

I am looking forward to Brown and Sanders having great seasons.

[hawaiiansteel]

Mike Wallace and his agent have now painted themselves into a corner and the only way out of the corner is for Wallace to sign his RFA tender and report to camp so negotiations will resume once again.

the Steelers will not waver in their stance, history has proven that.

[flippy]

Can the Steelers reduce the tender now?

[ikestops85]

Can the Steelers reduce the tender now?

No, I don't believe they can. There was only a short window for them to be able to do that.

[Chadman]

Settle down...give it a couple of days for the nuts & bolts to be ironed out & he'll be there. Maybe not even that long. Wes Saunders just about let the cat out of the bag- the deal looks to be just about in place.

[Eddie Spaghetti]

Can the Steelers reduce the tender now?

why in the hell would they?

this is just posturing. Some of you guys need to take a deep breath.

the wallace deal will get done. Jeez louise.

[flippy]

why in the hell would they?

this is just posturing. Some of you guys need to take a deep breath.

the wallace deal will get done. Jeez louise.

Maybe they could try and trade him instead.

[SteelBucks]

I still think he'll report soon. The Steelers will usually contact hold-outs and tell them they'll negotiate in good faith once he reports. That translated means they are close in numbers and a contract will get done.

But if this drags on, both sides are way off.

[flippy]

Settle down...give it a couple of days for the nuts & bolts to be ironed out & he'll be there. Maybe not even that long. Wes Saunders just about let the cat out of the bag- the deal looks to be just about in place.

I think there's a correlation between being rational and living far away from Pittsburgh. I'm only 500 miles away so this drama gets me going.

[hawaiiansteel]

Bus Cook, Agent for Mike Wallace, Has a Client History of Training Camp Drama

by Neal Coolong on Jul 25, 2012



Steelers WR Mike Wallace's decision whether to sign his restricted free agency tender offer of $2.7 million has been the headline-grabbing story this off-season.

With that off-season all but finished (players report to training camp today for the infamous conditioning test with practice beginning Thursday), that one-year contract is nothing but unsigned.

Will Wallace show up today, sign the contract, run his 16 110-yard sprints (or some other ungodly amount) and let his agent and the front office continue negotiating a long-term deal? Or will he sit it all out?

There's been nothing but conjecture and speculation to this point (including a poorly timed joke Tuesday announcing Wallace had signed a five-year deal, just an hour after the Steelers announced an extension for head coach Mike Tomlin), but the fact is Wallace cannot practice with the team until his contract is signed.

The team wants him in training camp. Ergo, he isn't going to get a long-term deal until he signs the offer in front of him.

That's what makes this situation different for Wallace than it was for former Steelers WR Hines Ward, who held out the first two weeks of the 2005 season. Ward was under contract, and subjected to fines for missing practice. Wallace is not, and cannot be fined.

So what are the odds he signs either his tender offer or a long-term deal today?

Taking a look at the client list of his agent, Bus Cook, a few notable names pop out. First is Lions WR Calvin Johnson, who signed an eight-year, $132 million contract - $60 million guaranteed - this offseason. While no one would confuse Wallace for Johnson, it shows Cook has negotiated the largest wide receiver contract in history.

Not dramatic, but it shows Cook's vision. If Wallace is seen as half the player Johnson is, it's a pretty substantial deal.

Another Cook client, Jaguars TE Marcedes Lewis, held out for five days starting training camp last year. He differs from Wallace in that Lewis signed the franchise tag he was given before camp started, so he was fined for each of the five days he missed before he reported. The Steelers do not have that leverage on Wallace.

Lewis signed a five-year, $25 million contract five days after his holdout ended.

Cook also handles Bears QB Jay Cutler, perhaps best known for his stint in Denver where he eventually requested a trade from the team that drafted him. Put the blame for that on Cutler or Cook or former head coach Josh McDaniels, the fact is there isn't much precedent for a franchise quarterback demanding a trade three years after his selection.

And let's not forget Brett Favre. His "Will-He-Or-Won't-He" act will be forever a part of football and pop culture history. Perhaps not something to blame on the agent, but again, something you just don't see much of throughout the league.

This isn't to suggest Cook's clients all pull stunts, or even that Wallace would be wrong for holding out, it does show recent history of some of his clients taking action that would not place them with their respective teams at the start of camp.

[URL]http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2012/7/25/3185702/steelers-training-camp-holdout-mike-wallace-bus-cook-marcedes-lewis-hines-ward[/URL]