Steelers Activate Joey Porter Jr. Before Season

The Pittsburgh Steelers finally get their star cornerback back.

Nov 30, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) reacts against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers got their star cornerback back, activating Joey Porter Jr. off of the Physically Unable to Perform List, the team announced.

Porter Jr. and the Steelers have been negotiating a long-term contract all offseason, but no real progress has been made. The two sides remain far apart heading into the regular season, and even head coach Mike McCarthy has acknowledged that Porter missing time was a "business situation" that he and the team were handling.

However, on paper, Porter has missed all of training camp and the preseason because of a back injury. He was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform List after his back flared up during a mobility drill. He has not practiced since, spending some time with the trainers during practice, but nothing consistent.

Porter also held in during OTAs and minicamp, not doing any individual drills and only participating in a walk-through at the end of practice. Besides that, he has done nothing with the team all offseason.

In his place, Asante Samuel Jr. has started on the outside alongside Jamel Dean. The 26-year-old has impressed throughout training camp and the preseason, and looks to be the first depth player the team will look at coming off the bench.

Jalen Ramsey is also available after being activated off of PUP with a knee injury, and Brandin Echols made his return to action from an ankle injury in the final preseason game.

Daylen Everette, a third-round rookie out of Georgia, will round out the room heading into the regular season.

Porter's Contract Situation

While reports claim Porter is looking to be the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, the Steelers don't feel that's true or that it's holding negotiations back. Still, the two sides have not been close on a deal at really any point during negotiations.

At times during the summer, the two sides weren't even talking for days at a time.

While nothing seems close to getting done, the Steelers still want Porter to be part of their team moving forward. Not getting a deal done before the regular season won't force them to trade him, and won't give them reason to believe he won't be here long-term. All it would do is put negotiations on pause until next offseason.

For now, the team is looking forward to having one of the best cornerback rooms in the NFL. They now have the entire group together before Week 1.

Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI, and find our podcast All Steelers Talk on YouTube or anywhere you listen!