Mike Wallace was once the main threat defenses had to worry about in the Pittsburgh Steelers offense - now he is a free agent. The Minnesota Vikings announced today that Wallace will be released after only being with the team for one season. The Vikings had to release him if you weighed his price tag against his production. Wallace finished 2015 with 39 catches, 12 starts, 473 receiving yards, 12.1 yards per catch and 2 touchdowns.
Wallace has been somewhat off the radar since he left the Steelers. He did have a solid 10-touchdown season with the Miami Dolphins and averaged 12 yards per catch for the last three seasons, so Wallace will draw some attention from franchises around the NFL. The Vikings sent a 5th round pick to the Miami Dolphins for Wallace and it appears that it just did not work out scheme wise.
Teddy Bridgewater has trouble throwing the NFL deep ball and that is what Wallace has been accustomed to. The Vikings will have a silver lining in all of this as they will get to recoup $11.5 million in cap space for 2016. The team already has a solid amount of cap space, so this move should do more to help them be active in free agency.
Wallace should not have a hard time finding a team that could use a solid No. 2 or No. 3 wide receiver. The free agent class for wide receivers is extremely thin, so it is possible he can find some significant interest. It seems as if the Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Rams and Houston Texans are all intrigued by Wallace.
The Texans could use another wide receiver to compliment DeAndre Hopkins. With Nate Washington hitting free agency and Cecil Shorts returning from an injury plagued season, it is likely Wallace could find his next home with the Texans.
The Rams only have one real starting wide receiver in Tavon Austin and he is not the most conventional target for most rookie quarterbacks, so adding Wallace could potentially bring a boost to this wide receiving corps. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have been searching for a wide receiver to step in if Dez Bryant goes down with another injury and Wallace could make for an interesting target in Big D.
