Miami Dolphins wide receiver Mike Wallace may have worn out his welcome in South Beach, but that doesn't necessarily mean he won't be with the team next season. While Wallace's mood swings and lack of elite production have some believing that the Dolphins are trying to trade him - possibly to the Seattle Seahawks? - the truth of the matter is that Wallace's contract may make that tough to do. He is owed $33 million over the next three seasons, an amount several teams will balk at should Miami come calling. Still, Miami has yet to figure out what to do with Wallace.
"The Dolphins are considering all options when it comes to their highest-paid, yet malcontented employee - keeping him, cutting him or trading him - but as of Thursday, had not made a final determination on any of them," Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald wrote.
Believe it or not, but Wallace's future in Miami could depend on the looming free agency of tight end Charles Clay. Clay is rumored to be seeking a deal around $6 million annually and what the Dolphins decide to do with him could impact Wallace's status.
"League insiders say that if the Dolphins can strike a deal with Clay in the coming weeks, it probably decreased the likelihood Wallace remains," Beasley wrote.
"What the Dolphins decide to do with Wallace has a ripple effect on the rest of the roster - with Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson the most to lose or gain. It's next to impossible to envision a scenario in which all three return in 2015, but as of Thursday, the team had not yet made its intentions known to those players."
The Dolphins have until June 1 to either cut or trade Wallace if they hope to save north of $5 million in salary cap space. That could help big time as Miami is in pretty bad shape cap wise, with roughly just $5 million in expected room. Offloading Wallace and a few other veterans would likely open enough cap space to chase Philadelphia's Jeremy Maclin, Green Bay's Randall Cobb or Baltimore's Torrey Smith as a possible replacement in free agency.
Whatever the Dolphins decide to do with Wallace will have far reaching reverberations that will have a significant impact on the roster.