Alex Carrington leaves Oakland without a contract, reportedly heading to St. Louis

No one can tell Alex Carrington he's selling himself short in free agency.

The ex-Bills defensive end has met with the Steelers previously, and reportedly met with the Raiders Monday, leaving town without a contract. Next up, the St. Louis Rams. All of this on top of an offer he's already fielded from the Bills.

It's certainly within his collectively bargained right to get the most he feels he can get while he's not under contract. With the amount of cap space available from some teams, it's not a terrible idea to shop around for a bit, trying to get top dollar along with the best schematic and organizational fit.

Perhaps that just isn't Pittsburgh, his first official stop outside Buffalo in his free agency tour.

Carrington looks like a great fit on paper. A long, powerful pass rusher who can hold up well against the run, Carrington could be used inside or out, depending on the situation. He could start in their base defense, opposite Cameron Heyward, flanking Steve McLendon, making for an athletic and powerful set of down linemen.

Depending on his visit in St. Louis - a team that's already stacked among their defensive line - it would seem Carrington is more interested in a 4-3 scheme, but that relevant to the amount of plays a team would run in their base package. It's not as if he'd be sealed in cement as a five-technique in Pittsburgh.

Still, no further report has surfaced putting Carrington back in Pittsburgh. With the Steelers' cap situation dwindling, that ship may already have sailed.