2012 NFL Free Agents: Best Suitors for Playmaking WR Mike Wallace

The free agent market gets slimmer and slimmer every time a player get slapped with a franchise tag, but things just got a whole lot more interesting as the Pittsburgh Steelers have decided to not place the tag on wide receiver Mike Wallace.

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Mark Kaboly, the Steelers decided to pass on placing the $9.4 million tag on the speedy wide receiver. Instead, they are going to place a $2.742 million high tender on him, which will allow other teams to sign him to an offer sheet that the team can out-sign.

The back-to-back 1,000-plus-yard receiver will be in high demand, and can likely get much more than the near $3 million that the Steelers will initially offer. Any team that would take him on would have to return a first-round pick to the Steelers, so that is a cost that team's with early round picks may not want to risk.

With that in mind, there are plenty of teams that will be interested in acquiring the talented receiver. Here are a few that will likely make a move for the potential game-changer.

Chicago Bears

The Bears are in serious need of playmaking wide receiver, and while they would likely target such a player in the NFL Draft, picking up a free agent at the caliber of Wallace would save them a draft pick.

The team hasn't had a serious option to team with quarterback Jay Cutler since bringing him over from the Denver Broncos, so signing a guy like Wallace is a perfect solution to their problem. While Wallace isn't the only receiver they will like, the fact that he wasn't tagged makes him more appealing for the club.

With Wallace just 25 years old, the team may finally get the playmaking target they have always desired.

New England Patriots

The Patriots always love to have some weapons, and nothing would be more appealing than for quarterback Tom Brady to have a new shiny toy in Wallace.

Currently, the Pats have some fine targets in players like Wes Welker and Deion Branch, but it is no secret that those guys are a step closer to going over the hill than competing much in the long run. The team will have to decide the future on Welker this offseason, but they could easily move on from Branch and replace him with Wallace.

With guys like tight end Rob Gronkowski already in place, this team would be set to compete for many more titles for seasons to come.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins do already have wide receiver Brandon Marshall, but with former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin now running the show, the team may have to bolster their receiver corps to find the same success.

If the team can get a speedy receiver like Wallace to team up with a possession guy like Marshall, the Dolphins could quickly become a perennial threat in the AFC with a solid passer under center.

The Dolphins still have many areas to address this offseason, so receiver may be the least of their worries right now.

If they can get Wallace though for the price they are looking for, the team shouldn't pass on the effort.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Home, sweet home. No reason why Wallace can't return to the Steelers when it is all said and done. The team can still negotiate with him before the season begins, and they just decide that locking him in long-term is a better option than tagging him this season.

The Steelers clearly need Wallace, as they will be without receiver Hines Ward.

QB Ben Roethlisberger will still need a target, and nobody has shown more potential for this Steelers team than Wallace.

It will be a huge decision for the team to make, as they have many positions to deal with, but the thought of Wallace not in the yellow and black may be too hard to imagine.

Jeff Chase is a Featured Columnist for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona State football.
Follow @Real_Jeff_Chase