Steelers, Joey Porter Jr. Situation is Getting Fishy

Where there's smoke, there's usually fire. The Pittsburgh Steeler and Joey Porter Jr. have a lot of smoke appearing right now.

Jul 30, 2026; Latrobe, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) observes training camp drills at Saint Vincent College. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers and Joey Porter Jr. are the talk of the NFL right now. Neither side is pleased with the other, and the reports, words and cryptic posts that are coming out seem to be a bit too much. Something is fishy about this situation.

It all started with a report from Jordan Schultz saying NFL teams are curious whether Porter Jr. could be traded because negotiations weren't going anywhere. According to a team source, there haven't been any calls for Porter Jr. up until this point.

Then, it was made known that Porter Jr. is not expected to sign a contract with the Steelers before the team's internal deadline of Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons. After that, Porter posted a cryptic message on his Instagram, either hinting at a return to the field or sending a message to Pittsburgh that he deserves to be paid like the best cornerback in the NFL.

And now, NFL Network is reporting that the Steelers have yet to offer Porter an actual contract. And therefore, he has nothing to accept or deny.

While the Steelers may not have formally given Porter a contract offer, it's hard to believe Porter's agent doesn't know the price at which Pittsburgh is willing to pay, or that no numbers have been discussed over months of negotiating.

From The Insiders on @nflnetwork on the “impasse” between Joey Porter Jr. and the #Steelers, who haven’t yet made an offer to their top cornerback. pic.twitter.com/syqanygcYa

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 24, 2026

There's Too Much Going On

Could all of these things be true? Certainly. But in the NFL, where there's smoke, there's usually fire.

The Porter and Steelers situation has been dead silent all summer long. There's been no news, no noise, and no drama. Now, all of a sudden, with the deadline approaching, things are in full chaos mode.

And that means something is happening.

How This Turns Out

No one really knows if Porter and the Steelers will reach an agreement before the regular season. Head coach Mike McCarthy called it an "impasse" between the two sides, but also made it known that he wants Porter to be back on the field.

The star cornerback hasn't practiced all summer due to a back injury that landed him on the Physically Unable to Perform List. Many believe he's not actually injured and is avoiding a hold-in. The Steelers may be in that group.

Maybe Porter being back on the field is all it would take for the Steelers to make an offer large enough to satisfy him. But it's also possible Porter really does want to reset the market and Pittsburgh isn't even close to that number.

Whether or not this gets done before the season is a guess, but one thing could be taken away from all of the noise. Something is in the works.

The NFL doesn't move this loudly for no reason. Both sides play the game and use all aspects of it when negotiations need to lean one way or another. Whether this is Porter's agent or the Steelers, there's something happening behind closed doors to cause all of this commotion.

It's a good sign for fans who want a deal to get done, because this is all too sudden and too fishy not to have hidden agendas. Things between the Steelers and Porter are moving faster than they have all offseason. You can tell by the noise.

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