Steelers, Joey Porter Jr. Negotiations Take Turn for Worst

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers and star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. apparently won't come to a deal this offseason. According to DK Pittsburgh Sports' Chris Halicke, the two sides are not close on a deal, and unless something drastic happens between now and Week 1 of the regular season, it seems no extension will get done.

All offseason, the expectation has been that the Steelers and Porter would get a deal done this summer. Even after holding in during OTAs and minicamp, there wasn't much concern about the two sides struggling to reach an agreement, with Porter saying he feels "repsected" in the process.

But the Steelers went on to sign Nick Herbig, Darnell Washington and Keeanu Benton, all while trying to get something done with Porter. With only one week of the preseason remaining, that still hasn't happened.

Here's Why

The Steelers and Porter Jr. have been pretty far off on numbers all offseason. During the spring, it already felt like Porter's side wanted top-5 cornerback money and likely top-3 guaranteed money. The Steelers seemingly never got close to that.

At times, the situation even went dark. For stretches during training camp, Porter's agent and the Steelers were not talking at all. It never remained that way heading into the final few week of the offseason, but it was clearly not a good sign at the time.

Without knowing Porter's exact number, it feels as if he is looking for over $30 million and closer to $60 million guaranteed, which brings him into the Trent McDuffie, Sauce Gardner range. The Steelers are likely closer to $27 million and somewhere in the $50 million range with guarantees.

What Happens Next?

Well, without a deal, the Steelers' star cornerback will play on the final year of his rookie deal. It doesn't feel like Porter will hold out during the season, but you never know.

As for trading him, that's still highly unlikely. The Steelers have control over Porter's deal for the 2026 season and could utilize the franchise tag next offseason while they try to negotiate something long-term once again.

As for the short-term future, don't rule this negotiation complete. The two sides will probably continue to talk right up until Pittsburgh's Week 1 deadline. In the NFL, things can change on the drop of a pin, meaning nothing is set in stone just yet.

It's not going well between the Steelers and Porter, but don't expect a divorce to happen anytime soon. If a deal doesn't get done this season, there's a whole other offseason in 2027 when the two sides will try and make something work.

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