With contract talks at a standstill between Mike Wallace and the Pittsburgh Steelers, don't be surprised to see the team go fishing for another wide receiver.
The pool is thinning. The Seattle Seahawks have gone on a torrid run of late, swallowing up every aging veteran pass-catcher out there. Except for one: Plaxico Burress.
Burress still is a free agent, despite catching eight touchdown passes for the New York Jets a season ago. He was a central piece of the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense between 2000 and 2004, and they could use a red-zone threat. In theory, a logical fit, except for this: Burress wants "too much money," according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
"Plaxico Burress has a big back tax bill. He is unemployed," Bouchette tweeted Tuesday. "... but something has to give, and it doesn't look as though Wallace will give in any time soon."
The Steelers aren't about to shop Wallace. Signing Burress could put pressure on Wallace to accept his $2.742 million tender and report to training camp, but it shouldn't. Plaxico has played his best football, and it's hard to imagine him turning down offers here in August.
We could see a team jumping on Burress after Week 1, to avoid any guaranteed money. Teams clearly don't believe in the veteran as a premier wideout anymore -- at least not at the price he's asking.
