On the Steelers: Lewis wants 'starter money'

Tweet from Alan Robinson (@arobinson_Trib)
Alan Robinson (@arobinson_Trib) tweeted at 0:30 PM on Tue, Jan 01, 2013:

Keenan Lewis plans to test free agency. He told #Steelers "they made a mistake" by not offering multi-year deal before 2012 season.

https://twitter.com/arobinson_Trib/status/286177536143159296

bayz101 wrote:

Tweet from Alan Robinson (@arobinson_Trib)
Alan Robinson (@arobinson_Trib) tweeted at 0:30 PM on Tue, Jan 01, 2013:

Keenan Lewis plans to test free agency. He told #Steelers "they made a mistake" by not offering multi-year deal before 2012 season.

https://twitter.com/arobinson_Trib/status/286177536143159296

Lewis is a funny man wasn't it the Steelers who showed him how to play cornerback? ungreatful SOB

Well now he DEFINITELY won't be coming back. What a dumb ass.

Drizztbob wrote:

Well now he DEFINITELY won't be coming back. What a dumb ass.

he's replaceable might tip the hand of the Steelers about picking a CB in the 1st round

This is one thing I respected about Wallace during his holdout ... he kept his mouth shut and never said a single word that could be interpreted as negative about the team. His buddy Lewis apparently isn't following the same path.

Seriously ... before this season, Lewis hadn't given the Steelers any reason to offer him a multi-year deal. I feel that they jumped the gun on Brown's contract, but at least he had shown signs of being a solid receiver. What did Lewis show in real games before this season?

Lewis made a stupid comment, but I still hope we find a way to keep him. The odds were against it before, and if this is his attitude, it's probably a long shot.

Keenan claims to have been misinterpreted. I actually believe him.

"I was misquoted by a reporter saying it was a mistake not to give me a contract last year. Try to make my image look bad, but here Wat it is, I'm not money greedy, I had my exit meeting today and it went great. I know we in the right direction as far as a contract, I believe strongly I would be apart of Steeler Nation next season. To do a three peat as the number one pass defense period. Here we go."

https://www.facebook.com/lgkeenan

bayz101 wrote:

Keenan claims to have been misinterpreted. I actually believe him.

Of course you do, because reporters are always wrong.

When a celebrity gets grief for a comment, they like to claim that they were misquoted to try to cover their ass. Do reporters ever get quotes wrong? Yeah, once in a while. They're human. It's usually minor errors, like typos. Alan Robinson is a good reporter. If he stands by the quote, then I'll believe that Lewis said it. Regardless of what Lewis thinks, I can assure you that Robinson didn't wake up one day and say to himself, "Hmmmm, I'm bored. I think I'm going to make Keenan's image look bad."

Here's Depot's take:

Quote :

Steelers Depot ‏@Steelersdepot

Hard to believe that @arobinson_Trib would ever misquote anyone . Robinson was AP man a LONG time. Perhaps more to it.

Quote :

Steelers Depot ‏@Steelersdepot

So tweet by @arobinson_Trib is still up after @KeenanLewis23 says he was misquoted. This should be fun. Means Robinson stands by quote.

It's always possible that Robinson misquoted him. But I just read one of Lewis' tweets, where he states that all he said is that his agent will handle contract talks. It's really hard to take that statement and come out with what Robinson tweeted. That wouldn't be a misquote. That would be a complete fabrication. Let's see if Robinson stands by the quote. If he does, then Lewis said it and is just trying to cover his ass.

He said it, PR people told him what was going to happen, and now he is trying to backstep to avoid the fallout...TOO LATE.

Quote :

Lewis wants 'starter money'

By Ed Bouchette / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

One season, two very different sets of circumstances for two high school teammates who came to the Steelers in 2009.

Mike Wallace was a bona fide star, a Pro Bowl receiver in 2011 offered tens of millions of dollars by the team he turned down in 2012. Keenan Lewis reached nickel back status in his third season, playing only in passing situations. The team offered him nothing but the required one-year tender as a restricted free agent in 2012.

Today, they are poised to become unrestricted free agents, and Lewis might even find himself in as good a position as his former classmate at Perry Walker High School in New Orleans. Lewis went from obscure backup cornerback to having such a good season in his first as a starter that he should be among the top handful of cornerbacks available in the 2013 free-agent market that opens March 12.

Lewis played for $1.26 million last season, a middle tender from the Steelers compared to a top tender of $2.7 million Wallace earned. Some team could have signed Lewis as a restricted free agent and given the Steelers a third-round pick as compensation. No one offered him a multiple-year contract to stay or leave, not the way the Steelers did with Wallace. Lewis is OK with that because he would not have attracted the kind of deal he will this year.

"I didn't want a contract in 2012," Lewis said Wednesday from his New Orleans home. "I was just a nickel back. I probably would have told them to hold up on the contract anyway because I wanted to really establish myself as a starting cornerback.

"I didn't want nickel-back money, I wanted starter money."

Lewis left his exit interview with coach Mike Tomlin on New Year's Day feeling good about the team's desire to sign him to a new contract.

"I'm hoping they do something so I can get back," said Lewis, who led the NFL in passes defensed. "They said they wanted me to come back."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/on-the-steelers-lewis-wants-starter-money-668741/#ixzz2Gt21R000

I've been waiting to see a response from Alan Robinson regarding his Tweet of Lewis' comment. So far, nothing. Unless I hear one way or the other, I'm moving on from it and focusing on whatever is said going forward. From Bouchette's article, I like what I'm hearing from Lewis now. There's no doubt that he deserves to get paid. The only question is whether the Steelers can afford to pay him.

Can we afford to pay him 3 mil a year? Or will he want more than 3 mil a year?
What do you guys think

fer69 wrote:

Can we afford to pay him 3 mil a year? Or will he want more than 3 mil a year?
What do you guys think

If he wants some serious starter money, you're about 5-7 million dollars short.

Hell no!!! 7-10 mil a year? for 1 good year? If that is what he wants I seriously doubt he'll be here next year

fer69 wrote:

Can we afford to pay him 3 mil a year? Or will he want more than 3 mil a year?
What do you guys think

I think 3mil a year might be steep but what does Carnell think. I'm pretty sure they'll be asking him (if they're smart) if he thinks this kid is worth it. We got in under the cap this year after giving Brown (wasn't it right around 2-3 per year.)?

We can cry and moan around here all we want that He should only "get this amount" or "get that amount", whatever.
But the fact is - like Wallace - he will get it somewhere else. Plenty of teams out there, smart or not, throwing around money like its nothing.

If we can squeeze him in under the cap then I say pay him if not it will be like some of the rest see ya later.