Miami Dolphins unsure if Mike Wallace will be back

The Miami Dolphins are uncertain that expensive and mercurial wide receiver Mike Wallace will be back next season.

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The Dolphins aren’t sure if they should bring back wide receiver Mike Wallace after he benched himself and lost the respect of his teammates on the last game of the season. Wallace himself said after the game that he wasn’t sure if the Dolphins wanted him back, but that he wanted to be back regardless. Of course he would, considering he just signed a five-year contract in 2013 worth $60 million.

According to a story by Chris Wesseling of NFL.com, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross had very little to say when asked on Friday if Wallace would be back for the third year of his contract. He was noncommittal and then added that he didn’t think anyone knew whether Wallace would be back.

Unfortunately, the Dolphins are in a bit of a pickle over what to do with Wallace. He’s virtually untradeable with a $12.1 million cap hit coming up and don’t expect Wallace to renegotiate. If the Dolphins cut Wallace after June 1, then they can save $6.9 million in cap space, but will still have $5.2 million worth of dead money, plus Wallace still walks away with $3 million in guaranteed money.

The question for the Dolphins here is really whether they want to risk another locker room issue by keeping Wallace and at least getting something for the $5.2 million they would be set to lose. The problem is that Wallace’s teammates aren’t particularly enthused about his presence anymore. Wallace reportedly benched himself at least twice during the season. First during the Week 15 game and then in the Week 17 game. Several Dolphins players said after the game that they felt abandoned by Wallace’s behavior.

There are conflicting reports about that incident, however, though the result remains the same. Even if Wallace was benched by the coaches for his attitude, which was reportedly challenging playcalls, the fact remains that his teammates weren’t happy with him and it’s hard to imagine locker room harmony with a guy making a ton of money, but ending up on the bench for crucial moments.

Wallace was still one of the better receivers in the NFL last season. He amassed nearly 1,000 yards with a total of 862 on 67 receptions. He averaged 12.9 yards per and finished with 10 touchdowns.

The Miami Dolphins are uncertain that expensive and mercurial wide receiver Mike Wallace will be back next season.

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