Ike Taylor gives Mike Wallace contract advice

Mike Wallace is still looking for a big money, long-term contract from the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Steelers still aren’t willing to cough up the kind of cash Wallace thinks he deserves. There’s nothing new on that front. Ike Taylor’s message to Mike Wallace is new, and it’s a message Wallace may want to consider heavily in the coming weeks.

If Mike Wallace doesn’t sign his RFA (restricted free agent) tender by June 15th, the Steelers will be able to cut his salary from $2.742 million to just $577,000 for the 2012 season.

Ike Taylor has been in a similar position before, and he’s more than willing to share his experience with his teammate. Taylor told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review he has spoken with Wallace about Wallace’s contract situation. Taylor Reportedly told Wallace that the Steelers “are not going to let you dictate to them on how you feel.” Taylor also said he’d like to see Wallace at practice, learning Todd Haley’s new offense.

“Mike is going to be a Pittsburgh Steeler for years to come. [But I told him], at the end of the day: Football doesn’t need you; you need football.” -Ike Taylor, Steelers CB

Taylor may believe that Wallace will be with the Steelers for years to come, but even that’s in question. If a long-term deal can’t be reached between the two sides, Wallace will likely be looking at testing free agency a year from now, and at that point, the Steelers won’t be able to hang on to their star receiver.

Next year, the Steelers will likely be in a very similar situation with WR Antonio Brown who will be a restricted free agent at that time.

About Shane Clemons

Shane Clemons came from humble beginnings creating his own Jaguars blog before moving on to SBNation as a featured writer for the Jaguars. He then moved to Bloguin where he briefly covered the AFC South before taking over Bloguin's Jaguars blog. Since the inception of This Given Sunday, Shane has served as an editor for the site, doing his best not to mess up a good thing.

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