In a few weeks, high on the fumes of possibility, some team desperate to win will give some free agent way too much money. And in a couple years, long after things have soured and expectations have fallen woefully short, we'll look back and wonder why anybody ever thought it might work out.
This brings us to Mike Wallace, the mercurial speedster who has redefined disappointing during his two seasons in Miami. From 2009-2012 with the Steelers, Wallace was considered the league's most dangerous deep threat. He averaged 20 yards per reception during his first two years and scored 16 touchdowns.
Wallace held out for much of the 2012 preseason only to have his worst season in Pittsburgh. New offensive coordinator Todd Haley was blamed. Haley's offense, the story went, didn't fit Wallace's strengths: the deep game.
Never mind that Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant had great success in that very same offense last season. Or that Wallace's inconsistencies followed him to South Beach. That would be less of an issue if the Dolphins hadn't signed him to a five-year, $60 million deal shortly after he hit free agency.
Here's what then-general manager Jeff Ireland said as the ink was drying on Wallace's contract.
“We are pleased to reach an agreement with Mike Wallace. He has a unique skill set which we believe will be a welcomed addition to our offense. We are looking forward to his contributions to the team.”
And here's Wallace's father a few months later:
"I know this: He's going to give Miami their money's worth. Dolphins fans are going to love him. He worked hard and deserved everything he got. So don't call him selfish."
Now, after 32 games, 140 receptions, 1,792 yards and 15 touchdowns, the Dolphins are trying to trade Wallace. Good luck with that. Not only because the production was never there, but also because Wallace reportedly quit on his teammates in a game last December.
According to the Sun Sentinel's Omar Kelly, coach Joe Philbin benched Wallace for the second half of the Week 17 loss to the hapless Jets because of comments the wideout made at halftime.
And now Kelly writes that while the Dolphins want to dump their high-priced, underperforming wide receiver, Wallace won't be taking a pay cut to facilitate any such move.
Sources tell the Sun Sentinel that Wallace has told the Dolphins he will not restructure the final three years and $32.9 million left on his contract. Wallace, who has expressed his displeasure with the Dolphins' conservative offense, would rather test the free-agent market than re-work the details of his contract, which pays him $9.9 million in 2015, including $3 million of that guaranteed on March 15.
We don't blame Wallace for not wanting to take less money because there's no way he gets close to $10 million next season anywhere else.
Let's put it this way: Assume that Wallace and Martavis Bryant are on the same contract (Bryant's set to make $619,805 in 2015), would anybody trade Wallace for Bryant straight up? Hell no. And that's the point.
It's why no team would trade for Wallace and that onerous contract, which means that the Dolphins could end up releasing him, much like the Eagles did with DeSean Jackson last offseason. For now, Wallace remains in Miami.
“Mike is a guy who is under contract for now. We're discussing all our options,” Mike Tannenbaum, the team's recently hired executive vice president of football operations told 940 WINZ Thursday morning. “Coach Philbin, [owner Steve] Ross, [GM] Dennis [Hickey] and myself, we've talked. For now Mike is under contract, and we'll see where things go from there. ...
"Any decision we make will be a thoughtful one," Tannebaum continued. "Right now we have the benefit of putting our plan together because the league year doesn't start on March 10.”
Ah yes, March 10. The date when some team will rush to overpay a free agent and, invariably, it will all go horribly wrong.
