Steelers WR Mike Wallace Will Not Sign His Franchise Tender “Until He Absolutely Has To”

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Pittsburgh Steelers and WR Mike Wallace are not making progress toward a long-term deal.

Schefter believes that it “may be awhile” before Wallace joins the Steelers at their team facility and adds that he won’t sign his tender until

Even though the deadline to sign restricted free agents is over Wallace is till standing his ground by not signing his tender “until he absolutely has to.”

The window for other teams to sign him away has already passed, so Wallace has lost some leverage in negotiations, but not having him for the upcoming season seems like enough to persuade the team to consider offering him a long-term contract. Pittsburgh has said that he’s apart of their long-term plans, but Wallace’s asking price is reportedly astronomical. This figures to be a storyline that stretches on throughout the summer.