Has Mendenhall Had His Last Carry with the Steelers?

The Steelers may or may not have had some interest in free agent RB Mike Tolbert, who inked on Monday with the Carolina Panthers.

The reason behind that interest may have been due to the fact it’s now seemingly more and more like the team may not have the services of RB Rashard Mendenhall in 2012.

Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette mentions that “it’s possible Mendenhall may have had his last carry with the Steelers.”

The former first-round back tore his ACL in the regular season finale against Cleveland, and entering the final year of his contract and it’s certainly a possibility that the Steelers could look to move on without him in a year from now.

Bouchette states “sources told me that the Steelers will not count on Mendenhall returning to form until at least the 2013 season.”

It’s hard to gauge what the market for running backs will be like in 2013, but if the recent trends are any indication, it’s safe to assume that he’s not going to land a huge contract, and it very well may not be in Pittsburgh.