Per year figures and contract totals are far less important than structure and guarantees, but I know what you are trying to say.
Let me explain Wallace's situation. He is a fantastic player, a game changer. He is worth a great deal of money. The problem for him is that he is either 1a or 1b (1b IMO) at the deepest position on the roster. The Steelers have Brown, Sanders, and Cotchery. He is a luxury to have and he makes the Steelers offense that much more difficult to defend.
However, they'd be fine without him. They're not in a bind, like many other teams would be, because of great depth at the position. Eventually, Wallace will sign his tender and things will move forward. There's no reason for Pittsburgh to send the message to every other player on the roster that they have changed their own rules on how, when, and who they deal with.
This gives you a little idea of how contract totals can be deceiving:
http://www.steelersdepot.com/2012/07...-steelers-you/
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