I feel like today is a good day to put out free agent fire before it gets started, just like I did at this same time last year with Tiki Barber. This year it is another former New York Giants running back that will have at least half of Steeler Nation frothing at the mouth after he was released today by the Super Bowl champions. Jacobs will turn 30 years of age in July and his best years are far behind him. Not only is that an issue with Pittsburgh being a possible landing spot for him, but he has character issues as well. He is not regarded as a team player and loses his cool way too much for the Steelers liking.
Even if the Steelers were to get past all of the above, there is still this little thing called the salary cap that stands in the way. As Mike Garafolo of the Star-Ledger pointed out shortly after the release of Jacobs on Friday, he was scheduled to earn a base salary of $4.9 million in 2012 and was unwilling to lower that number too terribly much to stay in New York. Jacobs will undoubtedly want a few million to play elsewhere in 2012 and there is likely a team out there willing to pay him that. It will not be the Steelers.
Even with Rashard Mendenhall expected to start the season on the PUP list next season, the Steelers have a full stable of younger backs to go along with presumed 2012 starter Isaac Redman as Jonathan Dwyer, Baron Batch, John Clay and Chad Spann will all be battling for roster spots. Throw on top of that the fact that the Steelers could also be thinking about adding yet another running back at some point during the draft and you can see that there is no roster spot for an aging and troublesome back like Jacobs.
Get it out of your head right now as it just won\’t happen, nor should it. Let me go ahead and burst the Michael Bush bubble as well while I am at it. He will not be a Steeler in 2012 either.
Oh and Happy Friday everyone.
