With the receiver signings in FA, what about Mike Wallace?

There has been a lot of movement with contracts for wide receivers the past couple of days since the league year opened.

• Desean Jackson, Eagles: 5-years, $48.5M
• Pierre Garcon, Redskins: 5 years, $42.5M
• Josh Morgan, Redskins: 2-years, $12M approx.
• Vincent Jackson, Buccaneers: 5-years, $56M ($26M guaranteed)
• Calvin Johnson, Lions: 8-years, $130.5M ($53M guaranteed)

That is a lot of money for players that don't touch the football every single play. Calvin Johnson received franchise quarterback money, but in my opinion, he has earned it with his play and professionalism.

So this is going to set the market for biggest Steelers' Restricted Free Agent, Mike Wallace.

Wallace is better than Desean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, and Josh Morgan. He's not quite at Vincent Jackson's level and the only other receiver in the league near Calvin Johnson's level would be Larry Fitzgerald. He is much better than Desean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, and Josh Morgan.

So I would say that he's going to want more money than what Desean Jackson received, but he's going to get less than Vincent Jackson. I would say he's looking for a contract in the range of 5-years and $52-54M.

Right now, the only offer Mike Wallace has received is the Steelers' first round tender. Any team can offer him a contract tender, and the Steelers would have five days to match it. If they do, he stays a Steeler. If the Steelers choose to not match the offer, they would receive the first round pick of the team that signs him as compensation because they gave him the highest tender possible. Also, he is only on the market for two weeks and if nobody offers him a tender in those two weeks he goes back to the Steelers on the one-year tender he received from them.

For another team's tender to mean anything, Wallace must sign it. If he doesn't, the Steelers don't have to match it. He could take the numbers to the Steelers and they could use those numbers to work out a long-term deal with Wallace. This is one thing I feel the Steelers have asked him to do before signing any tender from another team, this way they can load the money in a way that cap friendly to them instead of possibly letting him walk on a front-loaded deal that they can't match due to the salary cap.

At the moment, no news is good news on the Wallace front. With all this action, the price might be too high for other team's to give up. A big money contract and giving up their first round draft pick? That's a lot to give up for one player, especially a guy that was a third round draft pick a few years ago. Why give up the boatload of cash and first rounder when we can find our own Mike Wallace in the draft? Or possibly even better, our own Antonio Brown even later?

The longer teams wait to give him a tendered offer, the longer the Steelers can negotiate with him and sign him long-term without another team being in the mix. But the second another team does offer him something, if anyone does, all bets are off.

Either way, the Steelers are in a win-win situation. They either keep Mike Wallace for at least one more season with exclusive negotiation rights to keep him long-term....or they lose Wallace and get a first round pick in this year's draft to use for any player they want, upgrade anywhere that they want.

Here we go Steelers, here we go!