Pittsburgh Steelers' Cap Management to Blame for Pending Loss of Mike Wallace

The Pittsburgh Steelers could be on the verge of losing their top wide receiver, and they only have their poor salary cap management to blame for it. Mike Wallace is currently a restricted free agent, and Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert has claimed the team will do everything they can to make sure he returns to the team. That said, it still may not happen. 

The Steelers have two immediate options available to them if they want the 25-year-old receiver back. One would be to put a first-round tender on him, meaning that any team that signed Wallace away would owe Pittsburgh a first-round pick. The other option would be to use the franchise tag on Wallace, which would ensure that he returns at a price in the neighborhood of $9.6 million. 

The problem is, Pittsburgh is currently over the salary cap, so using the tag on Wallace is unlikely. The Steelers are roughly $8 million over the cap for 2012, but they are currently working on restructuring a few contracts to make the math work out. Adding Wallace to the ledger at more than $9 million for next season would only make things worse.

Wallace had a great year in 2011. He finished the season with 72 catches for 1,193 yards and eight touchdowns, and he earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl. He is clearly quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's top target, and if he walks, the Steelers will have to find someone to replace him. But that will be almost impossible considering their awful cap situation.

Pittsburgh's management is the sole place where blame should be put for this fiasco. How they didn't see this coming is simply incredible to me. Yes, some teams had their numbers thrown off because of last summer's lockout, but still, the Steelers had an entire season to figure this mess out and they're just getting to it now. 

If Wallace ends up signing with another team, Pittsburgh's front office will have some explaining to do.