SEPTEMBER 10: When speaking to the media on Thursday, head coach Mike McCarthy was noncommittal when it came to Porter’s practice status (h/t Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show), which is notable given his limited participation in recent days. McCarthy did not offer any firm comments on whether or not Porter would play in Week 1 or the subject of a potential extension being finalized on the eve of the season.
SEPTEMBER 9: Unwilling to negotiate contract extensions during the season, the Steelers are running out of time to reach a multiyear agreement with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. With their season opener four days away, the Steelers now have an offer out to Porter, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Pittsburgh and Porter are not close to a deal, per Garafolo, though the offer itself may be a positive step. As of last week, the Steelers had not submitted any proposals to Porter. The 26-year-old has grown so dissatisfied with the lack of progress that he expressed uncertainty about playing Week 1 without a new contract.
Porter will average north of $230K in game checks this year. By holding out for any regular-season games, he would not collect that money.
The Patriots were in a similar situation with their No. 1 cornerback, Christian Gonzalez, but they finally crossed the finish line in negotiations a little after midnight ET on Tuesday morning. Gonzalez, who inked a four-year, $135MM pact, is now the highest-paid corner in the league in total value and annual salary ($33MM). He is also one of six CBs averaging at least $30MM per year. Four of those players, including Devon Witherspoon (Seahawks), Denzel Ward (Browns) and Trent McDuffie (Rams), have signed in recent months.
Porter likely wants to become the latest corner to join the $30MM-per-year club, though it is unknown if the Steelers are willing to go that high. If they are unable to come to terms this week, talks will cease until 2027. The Steelers would then have the $23.1MM franchise tag as a fallback option if they still can’t close the gap before free agency opens in March.
Porter, the first pick in Round 2 of the 2023 draft, may be the Steelers’ biggest success story from that class. Then in his first draft as the Steelers’ general manager, Omar Khan missed on first-round offensive tackle Broderick Jones – whom he traded to the Cowboys in late August. However, Porter, Keeanu Benton (second round), Darnell Washington (third) and Nick Herbig (fourth) have panned out. Benton, Washington and Herbig all received long-term raises in recent months. There is still a chance Porter will join them, but regardless, we should have an answer by Sunday.