It Is What It Is
NEED TO KNOW
Follow WEEI.com football writer Christopher Price at twitter.com/cpriceNFL. In addition, get the latest WEEI.com updates at twitter.com/WEEI.
A WEEI.com Patriots Blog
WEEI.com Blog Network
RSS
Free Agent Snapshot: Mike Wallace 02.20.12 at 11:22 pm ET
By

Mike Wallace has played three seasons in Pittsburgh. (AP)

We continue our look at 15 possible fits for the Patriots in free agency this offseason with a breakdown of wide receiver Mike Wallace. With the understanding that the NFL’s franchise tag window is from now until March 5 (which means some of these players we list could ultimately be retained by their team) here are some players worth keeping an eye on that might be a fit in New England when free agency begins March 13:

Mike Wallace
Position: Wide receiver
Age: 25
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 199 pounds

Wallace is a restricted free agent, which would mean that depending on what sort of tender the Steelers place on the receiver, the Patriots could be forced to give up as much as a first-round draft pick. But New England had four selections in the first two rounds (including No. 27 and No. 31 overall), and would likely embrace the idea of giving up one of its two first-round choices to Pittsburgh, which is struggling with cap woes. (For what it’s worth, I would be drummed out of the media corps if I wrote a story about Wallace and didn’t include the fact that New England had the option to take him in the 2009 draft and went with Brandon Tate instead.)

You need a field stretcher? Wallace is the best option out there, even as an RFA. This past season with the Steelers, he had 72 catches for 1,193 yards and eight touchdowns, and averaged 16.6 yards per catch. He had 18 catches of 20-plus yards and was tied for third in the league with seven catches for 40 or more yards. (For perspective, Wes Welker led the Patriots in 2011 with four catches of 40-plus yards.) In two career games against New England, Wallace had 15 catches (13 of them for a first down) for 206 yards and two touchdowns.

There is historical precedent for this sort of thing happening with a receiver who has torched them in the past: We are simplifying things a bit, but Wes Welker was a restricted free agent, but the Patriots were able to pry him away from Miami for a second-round pick before the 2007 season, eventually signing him to a five-year deal.

And finally, Wallace also passes what we call the Rosevelt Colvin Test: Bill Belichick has gushed about him on several occasions, with little or no provocation. Prior to the Patriots-Steelers game in October this past year, here was Belichick on Wallace: “He’s a big-play receiver. He’s really fast. … Nobody is going to catch him, so you have to be careful about how much space he gets when he catches the ball. I think he’s improved a lot from when we played them last year, just as a football player, his patience and route technique.

“He stretches the field, but he can also take a short pass and turn it into a long run, so you have to defend him from the line of scrimmage to the back of the end zone and from sideline to sideline,” Belichick added. “He’s a tough guy to match up on. He’s done a good job. Obviously he’s worked hard and he’s being well-coached and he’s got a good quarterback and other good receivers to complement him. He’s part of their very productive offense.”

Why it might not work: The Steelers could tag Wallace, which would send him back to Pittsburgh at a cost of $9.4 million, at least for another year. And if the Patriots are pondering the idea of Wallace, you can be sure that there are several other teams out there who are thinking about the same thing, including division rivals like Baltimore and Cincinnati.

Read More: Bill Belichick, Brandon Tate, free agent snapshot, Mike Wallace Print  |  Bark It Up!  |  Digg It
  • back to the super bowl…..

    Why I dont want Wallace….
    - He’s a 6 on a scale of 1-10 and can only run deep outside routes
    -The Patriots could get a better, more complete reciever for around the same price or alittle cheaper
    - Wayne, Lloyd, Jackson, Colston could all do the same or more that will be good enough in the end.
    -No way in h-e-l-l do I want to give the garbage stealers a first round pick

    Why I want Wallace….
    - Because it will make stealer fans cry their pathetic eyes out and then riot
    -NO defense could keep their offense under 30
    -Brady to Wallace for the go ahead Touchdown here in Super Bowl XLVII
    (stealer fans continue crying)

  • http://twitter.com/ES_Schneider Eric Schneider

    Isn’t that what you guys were missing a deep threat? I understand you want a more complete receiver but he is pretty good. I hear my Bengals are in the hunt for him as well. I really doubt Mike Brown goes after him though I just don’t see that happening. 

  • There’sAlwaysNextYear

    learn how to spell steeler’s dumba$$

  • Fishysob

    Glad you can spell anything. Thought all steeler fans were knuckle dragging neandrethals.

  • bruinman86

    Will “60 Minutes” let him out of his contract??

  • Anonymous

    Wow … a lethal deep threat with exceptional hands ….. ummmm, is it possible Gronkowski and hernandez could combine for 200 receptions if safeties had to sprint after Wallace all game long….. kind of liking the idea.

  • Trade for this guy

    Go get this guy, he has proven he can play, plus you weaken Pitt, and I do not see them trading within the division to Bal or Cin. I also hope they draft another WR because they have no depth at the position, get rid of Chad whatever his name is ASAP and possibly bring in another free agent WR, they also need a couple of CB’s as well.

  • RobDX

     Only Deep inside, you high?

  • http://twitter.com/SoxLaundry Red Sox Laundry

    Go back and look at the tape again he lined up all over the field ran reverses, screens, slants etc. He would look good in a Pats uni. I still think Lloyd or Wayne is the most cost efficient of the bunch. Plus they would give up their 31 overall pick which they would trade out of anyway. They never pay first round money to late picks when they could sign a 2nd rounder a few picks later at less money.

  • http://twitter.com/SoxLaundry Red Sox Laundry

    Go back and look at the tape again he lined up all over the field ran reverses, screens, slants etc. He would look good in a Pats uni. I still think Lloyd or Wayne is the most cost efficient of the bunch. Plus they would give up their 31 overall pick which they would trade out of anyway. They never pay first round money to late picks when they could sign a 2nd rounder a few picks later at less money.

  • Fuego

    I look at it this way: 

    - I seriously doubt they’ll make both first round selections so why not flip the pick into a proven commodity?  
    - They need receiver help. 
    - They need speed. 
    - Taking Wallace hurts Pittsburgh. 
    - Giving up a first round pick doesn’t exactly help them when it comes to their salary cap woes. 
    - I’m less sold on Lloyd and Wayne. Lloyd because he really only has one standout year, and Wayne because of his age and that he’ll still want a sizable contract. 
    - I don’t believe he is, but even if he’s only a burner then so be it because NE already has enough firepower to kill you over the middle. 

  • bruinman86

    I would be nice to stretch defenses out and wear them out!  This kid has the tools.  Not sure he has the mind to learn the system.  My guess is he returns to pittsburgh.

  • Dano S

    If you can get Wallace anyway than giving up a number one pick then do it probably in my book the best of the bunch of receivers.Mock Draft 7.0 1 Michael Blockers DE LSU 1 Mark Barron S Alabama
    2Kendall Reyes DL Connecticut 3 Phillip Blake C Baylor 4 Dwight Bentley CB Louisiana Lafayette.

  • Dano S

    If you can get Wallace anyway than giving up a number one pick then do it probably in my book the best of the bunch of receivers.Mock Draft 7.0 1 Michael Blockers DE LSU 1 Mark Barron S Alabama
    2Kendall Reyes DL Connecticut 3 Phillip Blake C Baylor 4 Dwight Bentley CB Louisiana Lafayette.

  • Dano S

    Also other 2nd round pick would be Juron Criner WR Arizona,

  • Dano S

    Also other 2nd round pick would be Juron Criner WR Arizona,

  • PVS53

    Pats will not dish out big money for a FA WR that will be sharing the ball with Gronk, Welker, and Hernandez. A part time deep threat reciever that Brady will have a hard time getting the ball to is not a smart investment. Pats will not go down that road. They might as well go “all in” and sign Mario Williams on defense before they go after an elite FA WR for big bucks.

  • Patsbob

     Meachum + 31st pick + less money > Wallace

  • jj

    Forgive this analogy…But there was a scene from the movie Glory where the soldiers were at the practice range. There was one soldier that couldn’t miss and he was all cocky. Then Matthew Broderick started firing a gun next to the soldier while he was shooting…He couldn’t come close to hitting a target after that.

    It reminds me of the Patriots for the last 8 years now. They are great until they are under pressure, then they choke, crack, just can’t make the play. Ninkovich offsides, dropped balls, no big plays on defense. If you can’t make those plays to win a freakin Superbowl, what the hell good are you? You ended up with the same number of rings as we did watching it on tv.

    Please get some playmakers that won’t crack under pressure.

  • RDee

    the Steelers will match any offer, plain and simple………………………

Latest on Twitter

2013 PATRIOTS DRAFT PICKS

2013 NFL DRAFT

Patriots Headlines
NFL Headlines
Tips & Feedback

Verify