After a huge 2011 campaign, Mike Wallace has been somewhat close-lipped on whether or not he’ll sign his restricted free agent tender to remain with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Now that Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald got huge contracts, Mike Wallace seems to feel that he’s due.
It’s been a rather trivial offseason for the Steelers, as they’ve lost Aaron Smith, James Farrior and Chris Hoke and have been informed that they’ll be without Rashard Mendenhall for the start of the season.
Losing Mike Wallace could send this team into a rebuilding phase.
We’ll assume that the wideout is looking elsewhere and break down the possible destinations for this pass catcher.
Cincinnati Bengals
With a new, young quarterback and an already-good No. 1 receiver in place, the Bengals would be well-suited to give Mike Wallace a look.
Andy Dalton could emerge as a top-ten quarterback if he’s throwing to AJ Green and Mike Wallace in 2012. Imagine that passing offense.
This scenario would see the Bengals improve and the Steelers decline even more than the two teams already have this offseason—possibly a death sentence for Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes.
Houston Texans
The Texans have been looking for a receiver to play opposite Andre Johnson and the team looks to be targeting Kendall Wright in the first round.
Wright is just a poor-man’s Mike Wallace (a player with less size and speed who plays the same type of game). The team could just go after the real thing.
Putting Wallace across from Andre Johnson would make the Texans high-powered air attack even more lethal.
Kansas City Chiefs
If the Chiefs are serious about making a playoff run, it needs to happen very soon.
The team just brought in Peyton Hillis and Stanford Routt—grabbing Wallace would complete a deadly trifecta for the 2012 offseason in Kansas City.
The team could put Wallace across from Dwyane Bowe, who’s more of a cumbersome type. Kansas City needs to win now and Wallace would be a great fit.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills are a bit of a dark horse here, but they should certainly be mentioned on this list.
Some draft analysts have tabbed Michael Floyd to the Bills with the tenth overall pick, but the team could just grab Wallace here and sign him to a big contract with money that owner Ralph Wilson is willing to spend.
After a subpar finish in 2011, the team seems committed to contending in 2012 and could bring in this Steeler wideout to ramp up their passing attack.