Mike Wallace May Be Pittsburgh Steelers' Loss, Oakland Raiders' Gain

With each passing day, it looks more and more likely that Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace is going to hit the open market when free agency opens on March 13. The cap-strapped Steelers may simply be unable to keep him.

The three-year veteran, who had 72 catches for 1,193 yards and eight touchdowns a year ago, is a restricted free agent. This means that the Steelers would have the right to match any offer that Wallace receives. However, with the Steelers in one of the most precarious positions in the NFL in regards to the salary cap, there may just not be enough left in the kitty to keep Wallace in the fold.

The franchise tag really isn't really an option, either. Pittsburgh would have to cut several players to generate the $9.4 million in cap space that it would take to tag Wallace. What's more, this would then leave them in the even more unenviable position of having both Wallace and fellow wideout Antonio Brown hit free agency a year from now.

Wallace himself acknowledged that his days in Pittsburgh may be numbered, telling Pro Football Talk via the Pittsburgh Tribune Review:

"

[Pittsburgh is] where I would like to be, but we all know that it is a business and you have certain things you have to handle. So if I have to go elsewhere, you know Pittsburgh will always be in my heart, but I have to do what I have to do.

Yeah, we are talking, but I don`t know how far they are going to get right now because of the situation. I know that they are working hard trying to take care of it, but I don`t know. We’ll see.

"

The Ravens and Patriots have been mentioned as potential suitors for Wallace. However, there's another team with cap issues of their own that might just be able to get in on the bidding. This team has a glaring need at the position and could possibly be willing to pay the hefty price of surrendering the first-round pick that Pittsburgh would receive as compensation if Wallace walks.

That team is the Oakland Raiders.

The Raiders are, much like the Steelers, up against the proverbial wall where the salary cap is concerned. However, they're in a better position to create some wiggle room, which can be done by jettisoning some dead weight and restructuring the contracts of some high-priced veterans such as quarterback Carson Palmer.

Wide receiver is also a position of need for the silver and black. While Darius Heyward-Bey finally showed some signs of life last year, he was the only Oakland wideout with more than 40 receptions or 625 yards in 2011.

Additionally, while giving up a first-round pick in addition to Wallace's salary is a steep sticker price, the Raiders showed just a season ago that they aren't afraid to pull the trigger on deals that bring with them some risk.

It's unknown if the new regime is willing to be that aggressive in acquiring the players they desire, but there's no denying that a Wallace/Heyward-Bey tandem would give the Raiders a pair of blazingly fast wide receivers that would make a certain track-suit wearing ghost in the Bay Area very happy.

No, not Casper. He's still alive.

Oakland may not be the most likely destination for Mike Wallace, especially given the interest that the 25-year-old will probably generate on the open market. However, at the very least, it's fun to imagine what could have been in Oakland as two burner receivers blazed a track across the field while Crazy Al's spectre looked on approvingly.

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