We heard last week that Dolphins center Mike Pouncey was watching center Alex Mack’s negotiations with the Jaguars carefully because he’d like an extension from the Dolphins and Mack’s deal would likely be of use when it came to setting a price in talks with the teams.
He probably wasn’t the only NFL center keeping an eye on the talks and probably wasn’t the only member of the Pouncey family, either. His twin brother Maurkice was surely also tuned into the Mack situation because he’s entering the final year of the contract he signed with the Steelers after Pittsburgh made him a first-round pick in 2010.
Maurkice Pouncey made the Pro Bowl after each of his first three seasons before tearing his ACL a few plays into last season and missing the rest of the year. That performance ranks him at or above the level Mack has reached and would make the AFC North a pricey neighborhood for centers if Pouncey signs an extension with the Steelers.
Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that there haven’t been any talks about such an extension at this point, but they could pick up because the Steelers have a long-standing policy of not negotiating extensions during the regular season. With almost five months before the season starts, there’s plenty of time for talks to happen and it would be surprising if the topic wasn’t broached before that point.
It wouldn’t be surprising if that led to a new deal, although it’s hard to predict whether or not Mack’s new deal will make reaching an agreement more difficult.