When Jason Worilds signed his transition tag with the Steelers but a day after it was tendered , there were expectations that went along with his signature.
Removing himself from the open market before he even had a chance to test his value suggested Worilds was committed and open to being a Steeler over the long term. If he had wanted a change of scene, or was dissatisfied with the Steelers he would have simply waited for Free Agency and offers to pour in from other suitors. He did not do this, therefore he must want to stay in Pittsburgh.
In addition, all players desire security in the form of a multi-year deal, and it was all but certain that at least one franchise would offer him a lucrative, multi-year deal in Free Agency. By signing his tender Worilds may have assured himself of at least one big pay day, but it stands to reason that he wants to secure his future now as his stock will likely never be higher. He is young, healthy and productive at a coveted position, all of which equates to big bucks.
When he signed his transition tag, its logical to think there must have been some good faith agreement about negotiating a long term deal with the Steelers.
Likewise, when the Steelers designated Worilds with the transition tag that too came with certain expectations.
By transitioning him in the first place, they have indicated that they want Worilds to remain a Steeler, he is clearly valuable to the team. They have also displayed that they are willing to pay $9.75 million for his services this year, which would be a considerable cap hit for any franchise, never mind the cash strapped Steelers. What this indicates is that the Steelers too have an interest in working out a long term deal, just like Worilds.
Furthermore, it would seem to be in the interest of the Steelers to hammer out this deal as soon as possible. The sooner they can negotiate a long term contract with Worilds, the sooner they can lower his tremendous 2014 cap hit.
In fact, it was expected that this deal would be finalised before the beginning of Free Agency, in the hopes it would free the Steelers up to pursue potential suitors and improve their roster. Steelers have many holes and needs to fill, including both starting and depth roles. In fact this need just became more acute with the departure of Defensive Lineman Al Woods to the Tennessee Titans.
The longer the Steelers wait to negotiate a deal with Worilds, the less time and resources they will have to make additions to and improve their roster.
By both tendering and signing the Transition Tag, Worilds and the Steelers placed expectations on themselves to get a deal done as soon as possible. Which makes it all the more surprising that after 9 days we have heard virtually nothing about it.