Report: 'Very little negotiation' between Mike Wallace, Steelers

Wallace and Pittsburgh aren't talking turkey right now. (US Presswire)

Steelers GM Kevin Colbert recently said that the team would love to reach a long-term deal with wideout Mike Wallace.

But there doesn't appear to be a whole lot of negotiation going on between the two sides. In fact, Len Pasquarelli of the Sports XChange wrote Friday that there's been "very little negotiation" between the two sides on a deal.

"With only about three weeks until the opening of camp, there has been no progress, and, in fact, very little negotiation, toward a resolution of wide receiver Mike Wallace's contract situation in Pittsburgh," Pasquarelli wrote on Friday.

This shouldn't be that big of a surprise. The Steelers like Wallace a lot, but they also risked losing him given the restricted free agent tender they gave him this offseason. Pittsburgh's already squeezed up against the salary cap as it is, and handing Wallace a pile of money well before he hits free agency isn't the most prudent thing to do.

Plus, the Steelers and Wallace might not agree on what he's worth. None of this matters all that much until training camp begins, though.

Losing Wallace for earlier portions of the offseason is a pain, and the contract chatter is certainly a distraction. But if Wallace is refusing to show up it could spur the two sides to start talking in advance of him missing out on training camp. And if those talks heat up, it's much more likely that a deal can get done.

Hearing that the two sides aren't talking in the early part of July isn't good news, but it's not a complete disaster either, even if the Steelers would prefer not to be dealing with it.

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