Whether he was benched or benched himself on Sunday, Mike Wallace left a bitter taste with the Miami Dolphins heading into this offseason.
Fellow wideout Brandon Gibson told reporters that Wallace was frustrated with "not being involved as much as he wanted" in the offense. But will he be involved at all going forward?
Wallace told reporters Monday that he wants to return after signing a five-year, $60 million contract in 2013, but he isn't certain the team wants him around.
"I'm not the general manager or anything, or the head coach," Wallace said, per the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "I'm not sure."
Coach Joe Philbin -- who will be back -- was noncommittal about the future of his top pass-catcher, saying Monday: "Nothing has changed right now. I haven't spent one second thinking about 2015 yet."
Wallace enjoyed his best season in Miami under play-caller Bill Lazor, piling up 67 catches for 862 yards with 10 touchdowns. He went out of his way, though, to voice displeasure with the scheme after calling out Mike Sherman's attack the previous season.
We don't expect Wallace to be cut. The Miami Herald points out that releasing him would count $5.2 million against the cap next season and $6.9 million in 2016, while saving the Dolphins roughly $7 million.
The emergence of rookie Jarvis Landry gives the 'Fins tangible depth at wideout, but Wallace is an unusual talent. If they don't want him around, look for Miami to first attempt to peddle their mercurial pass-catcher in a trade.
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