NFL Rumors: 5 Teams That Could Land Pittsburgh Steeler Mike Wallace

The Steelers may lose their speedy wideout.
Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting via a source that the Pittsburgh Steelers are not going to put the franchise tag on wide receiver Mike Wallace, but will instead place a first-round tender on their top offensive playmaker. 

What this means is that a team can make an offer to Pittsburgh, if it cannot be matched, then the Steelers will receive a first-round pick for compensation.  Considering the salary cap situation Pittsburgh is in, it is quite possible that Mike Wallace will not be in the famed black and gold next season. 

He's young and coming off of his best season where he had 72 catches and 1,193 yards receiving and eight touchdown catches.  Here are five teams who might possibly try to land the Pro Bowl wide receiver.

5. St. Louis Rams

Sam Bradford would love to have Mike Wallace at his disposal.
Jay Drowns/Getty Images

This may sound crazy since the Rams have the No. 2 overall pick, but work with me here. 

If the Rams manage to trade their draft pick to a team with multiple picks (the Cleveland Browns for example), they may be willing to trade one of those acquired draft picks for Mike Wallace. 

The Rams would love to give young quarterback Sam Bradford a legit No. 1 receiver.  If the Rams can re-sign Brandon Lloyd, they will have a nice duo of receivers for Bradford to connect with.

4. San Francisco

If the Niners nab Wallace, Mike & Mike won't be known as just a sports radio show anymore.
Whitney Curtis/Getty Images

The 49ers had one of the NFL's best defenses last year, but they need to make their offense a little bit more lethal to get to that next step.  Hello, Mike Wallace! 

The Niners have the 30th pick in the draft, so trading their first-round pick for a sure-thing playmaker seems almost like a no-brainer.  Wallace would then join forces with Michael Crabtree, making a tough 1-2 punch. 

Combine that with elite tight end Vernon Davis and last year's No. 8 ranked rushing offense, and suddenly the Niners' offense becomes much more respectable.

3. Cincinnati Bengals

With Jerome Simpson likely flipping out of town, the Bengals would love to replace him with Mike Wallace.
Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The Bengals are a team with a first-round draft pick to spare thanks to the Carson Palmer trade. 

Cincinnati has a solid young quarterback in Andy Dalton and an up-and-coming superstar wide receiver A.J. Green.  Consider Jerome Simpson gone with his off-field antics.  With a hole at the No. 2 receiver spot, the Bengals could not only replace Simpson's former spot on the team, they could upgrade it with Wallace. 

With an explosive receiver duo, backed by a solid run game and defense, the Bengals could be a force to be reckoned with for the foreseeable future.

2. New England Patriots

Will Tommy Terrific have a true number one wide receiver this season?
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Brady to Wallace would be the rest of the league's worst nightmare.

Although he had one of the best tight end duos in the history of the NFL last year, Brady had few targets on the outside.  A Wallace addition would mean that teams would have to back off of the underneath routes ran by Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski and Wes Welker. 

Teams would have to respect Wallace's speed, making an already scary offense downright frightening.  The Patriots are also a team with a first-round pick to spare, thanks to the always wheeling and dealing Bill Belichick.

1. Cleveland Browns

If McCoy is still around, he'd love to be tossing touchdowns to a former rival player.
Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

Who better to put a dagger in the hearts of Steeler Nation than that of the not too far away Cleveland Browns (well maybe the Baltimore Ravens)? 

The Browns are in desperate need of a playmaker on offense.  Wallace would pair with second-year wideout Greg Little to possibly torment the Pittsburgh Steelers for years to come. 

The only question is, will the Browns still have that extra first-round pick to trade?  Or will RG3 be dawning the orange and brown?  For my thoughts on that, check out this link.