Joey Porter Jr. is in the final year of his rookie contract, and the Steelers have made clear they aren't budging. General manager Omar Khan confirmed Pittsburgh's long-standing policy of not negotiating extensions during the regular season still stands, even with Porter's deal running out and the market for corners exploding around him.
Amid fruitless extension talks with starting cornerback Joey Porter Jr., Steelers general manager Omar Khan said Monday the organization's policy of not negotiating contracts during the regular season remains in place. Story via @bepryor: t.co/cW10Q51siY
That backdrop is what made Porter's answer on Monday land the way it did. Asked point-blank if he'd play Week 1 without an extension, Porter didn't say yes.
Joey Porter Jr.: I don't know if I'll play Week One without a new contract. t.co/dDi179yrU6
He went a step further with reporters, saying he'd need to loop in "the guys upstairs" and his own agents before committing to anything.
"I got to talk to the guys upstairs and my agents about that." #Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr on if he'd play without an extension. Worth watching for many reasons... t.co/6c7DeZDss3 t.co/6c7DeZDss3
Porter entered the league in the 2023 draft class alongside teammates Nick Herbig, Darnell Washington and Keeanu Benton, all of whom have already gotten their second contracts from Pittsburgh. Porter has said those deals were well deserved, but watching the rest of his draft class get paid while he's stuck negotiating with a team that won't negotiate is exactly the kind of thing that breeds a standoff. The cornerback market hasn't made it easier on the Steelers either — Seattle's Devon Witherspoon reset the position with a $33 million-per-year deal, and every corner angling for an extension is now pointing at that number.
Mark Kaboly framed it as the next domino in a slow-building saga — first it was about whether Porter and the Steelers could get a deal done, now it's about whether he even steps on the practice field.
Joey Porter Jr. moves into the next stage of his contract journey -- will he practice or won't he? t.co/dZoHnOevfH
By Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler's reporting pushed the story further: Pittsburgh's refusal to budge is reportedly driving Porter to weigh a trade request or a sit-out as leverage, rather than just play out the year hoping the front office changes its mind after the season.
Cornerback $ something to watch now and in offseason: -PIT’s hard line prompts Joey Porter Jr to consider trade/sit-out options -Pats, Gonzalez apart on several contract elements -D.J. Turner will play out year, poised for big FA or franchise tag t.co/rmkHylbacT
There's a physical layer complicating all of it, too. Porter has been working back from a back injury he suffered in camp, only recently returning to practice, which makes his Week 1 status murky even before you factor in the money. Kaboly's Tuesday update showing him working out with a teammate is a small sign he's trending toward available for the Sept. 13 opener against Atlanta — the question is whether he'll actually want to be out there without a deal in hand.
Joey Porter Jr working out with Brisker t.co/7FtLp81Jtt