Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. can’t leave the Pittsburgh Steelers until March, and that assumes the team doesn’t use the franchise tag to retain the player’s rights when free agency begins.
Yet, Porter and the Steelers are right up against a self-imposed deadline to agree to a new contract. The team has a longstanding policy of not negotiating new contracts during the season. The Steelers will begin the 2026 campaign on Sunday, September 13 at 1 pm ET.
“The clock is ticking,” said Porter when he spoke to reporters Friday, via The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo.
Porter expressed he is not optimistic that a deal will be reached within the final 48 hours before the regular season officially begins. The cornerback also notably disputed a report that he is seeking a record-setting deal.
“I don’t really know where that came from, whoever made that up,” said Porter. “It’s the internet.”
Porter is entering the final year of his rookie contract. That’s typically the time when players who teams want to retain beyond that season get extensions.
The Steelers signed edge rusher Nick Herbig, tight end Darnell Washington and defensive lineman Keeanu Benton to new contracts this summer. Like Porter, all three players were going into the final year of their rookie deals. But Porter hasn’t received a contract extension offer to his liking.
Joey Porter Jr. Not Optimistic Steelers Will Sign Him to Extension Before Deadline
There’s nothing from stopping the Steelers from continuing negotiations beyond Sunday except their unwritten team rules. But pundits don’t expect the organization to make an exception for Porter.
That means with the start of the regular season, the deadline for the cornerback to get a new deal will have passed.
No one is really sure what will happen next. Previously, Porter has suggested he might not play in Week 1. In his latest media sessions, the cornerback appeared disappointed but content to play without a new deal.
“It is what it is at this point,” Porter said. “We’re going to be prepared regardless of the situation, and we’re going to play ball.”
Porter also appeared to take the high road with his assertion that it’s unclear where the rumor came from that he is seeking to become the highest-paid cornerback in the league. Fans following the Porter contract saga should be well aware it didn’t come from some unknown internet source sitting in a basement.
It came from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
“It’s pretty clear when Joey Porter Jr. gets a new contract, he’s going to be the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL,” said Rapoport on The Insiders on August 24. “The Steelers, if they aren’t willing to make him the highest-paid corner, probably haven’t offered for that reason, which is why we are here, basically, where we are now.”
Rapoport can fall back on the fact that he never stated Porter is seeking to be the highest-paid cornerback. The insider’s assessment that he will become that, though, changed the local and national conversation around Porter’s contract dispute late in the preseason.
Porter Officially Questionable for Week 1
In addition to the contract dispute, Porter has dealt with a back injury throughout the summer.
Pundits, including ESPN’s Adam Schefter, have suggested that the two issues are connected — that Porter was on the PUP list during training camp to hide a contract hold-in situation.
Whether or not that suggestion is true has never been confirmed in part because Porter has yet to get his contract. But officially, the cornerback is on the Steelers final injury report for Week 1. Porter is questionable because of his back.
Based on his response to reporters Friday, though, Porter appears to be preparing to play.
The cornerback is the only Steelers player on the Week 1 injury report. That differs significantly from the injury report for the team’s season opener opponent, the Atlanta Falcons.
On Friday, Atlanta ruled out both quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. Veteran Cooper Rush is set to start behind center for the Falcons.
Joey Porter Jr. Puts Steelers on Notice 2 Days Before Contract Deadline