It may end up being fruitless depending on how the CBA labor negotiations go, but just in case the Steelers placed a first round tender on tackle Willie Colon Tuesday according to Jason La Canfora. Colon is currently scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent, but that could change depending on how the labor talks go. Consider this just a precautionary move right now. Colon was also deemed a restricted free agent last year after no new CBA was in place heading into the 2010 season and the Steelers tendered him a one-year contract offer of $2,521,000. He eventually signed the tender and suffered an Achilles injury that cost him his 2010 season. The 2011 first round tender amount figures to of course be higher than the 2010 level and that amount could be around 3 million or slightly higher. The level of compensation tendered him means that if he ends up being a restricted free agent, it would cost another team their first-round 2011 draft choice if the Steelers decline to match offer. Consider this just a paper work move today.
