Despite a report that the Steelers have started contract talks with cornerback Ike Taylor, a source with knowledge of the situation says that no discussions have occurred.
The suspicion is that the Steelers planted the seed with Scott Brown of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review in the hopes of scaring off possible suitors for Taylor, who’ll become an unrestricted free agent on March 4, if free agency actually starts on March 4.
Every February, tampering with looming free agents occurs throughout the league, with the process reaching a fever pitch during the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Though it remains to be seen whether similar efforts occur this year in light of the labor situation, the Steelers apparently are trying to apply an ounce of prevention.