It is time for Mike Wallace to stop holding out and sign his one year tender the Steelers are offering him. He does not deserve a long-term deal yet. He is just in his fourth year in the league. Once he is a seasoned veteran, then he has room to talk and hold out.
The Steelers need to get Wallace signed. They have a new offense this season and the Steelers need Wallace to learn it. Without Wallace, the wide receiving core is just average. Antonio Brown had a breakout year last year, but can he do it again? Emmanuel Sanders is coming off an injury-filled year. Hines Ward retired. All of the sudden, Mike Wallace does become the veteran of the receiving core. He has been the most consistent guy since joining the Steelers and plays like a number one wide receiver.
With that being said, it is time for him to be like a number one wide receiver and sign the one-year tender. He does not deserve the amount of money he is asking for, for only being a fourth year wide receiver. Yes he has proven himself, but he is not in the same league as the greatest wide-receivers of all-time in Jerry Rice and Randy Moss. Mike Wallace did not come close to a thousand yards receiving his rookie year. Moss was well over one thousand yards receiving and Rice was close. Wallace is also not scoring as much either. His best season is ten touchdowns in his second season and dropped off to eight this past season. Jerry Rice caught fifteen touchdowns his second season and improved to twenty-two touchdowns his third season. Wallace was not even close to that production.
So it is time for Wallace to sign his one year tender. He needs to be with his team, learn the new playbook, and become a true leader on The Steelers. He is not worth a long-term contract until he proves himself more, but signing the tender will be a good start.