Steelers Mike Wallace Is Just About A Miami Dolphin
Photo Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
UPDATE: Minutes after this posting, ProFootballTalk reported that Wallace finalized a deal with the Dolphins pending the physical. However, terms of the deal are all over the place. Twitter is lit up with details of either $12 million to $14 million per year.
2nd UPDATE: The terms of the deal have been reported to be worth $65 million over five years.
The nail in the coffin is set in place and the hammer should come screaming down by the end of the day on the career that was Mike Wallace in a Steelers uniform. The NFL via the net and PhinPinatic.com via Twitter are reporting that Steelers free agent Mike Wallace is in Miami and is currently taking a physical.
NFL net reporting that Mike Wallace is taking a physical in Miami and will be a Dolphin by the end of the day.
— PhinPhanatic (@PhinPhanatic) March 12, 2013
Pending the passage of that, Wallace should be a Dolphin by the end of the day. Thus surely ends the saga that was Mike ‘Mad For Money’ Wallace and the Pittsburgh Steelers. I for one will be glad just to see this over and a large part of me is happy that he is gone. I believe that he was a catalyst for many of the ‘locker room issues’ that came out over the past few weeks via other players’ comments. Whether you buy into that hype or not, you have to admit that Wallace was not the most positive influence on the in the locker room or on the field.
His lackluster season was disappointing across all accounts, and certainly did not prove his own self-imposed worth prior to the start of the 2012 season. The Steelers re-signed Plaxico Burress to a one year extension earlier on Tuesday. Plax doesn’t replace Wallace, but they hope that his height will still help in over the top moments when the Steelers get close to the endzone.
Wallace will be another weapon in the arsenal that is building up in Miami. Ryan Tannehill needs someone like Wallace to involve a deep ball threat. The Dolphins still need to keep up the pass protection in order to make Wallace affective – something that was one of the problems with Ben Roethlisberger hooking up with Wallace on a consistent basis the past couple of years.
So long and good riddance to Mike Wallace. Enjoy the warmth and flashes of Miami. Don’t let the locker room door hit you on the way out.