Even the most loyal Joey Porter Jr. supporter grew frustrated after he missed a game. However, Porter’s teammates have never turned on him, and that continues to be the case as his status for the Steelers‘ Week 2 game remains up in the air.
After Porter left practice early, creating more speculation about his health and/or motivation, a veteran linebacker was asked for his thoughts about his fellow member go the defense.
Patrick Queen Shared His Support for Joey Porter Jr.
Patrick Queen professed his unwavering support for Porter no matter what’s the real reason for his absence.
“Joey, whether he’s going through, whether it’s injury or it’s contract stuff, I respect it. I’m behind him 100%,” said Queen bluntly to reporters, including Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
These comments from Queen, who signed with the Steelers ahead of the 2024 season after spending his first four years with the rival Ravens, carry weight due to his consistency and production. Queen has played in all 17 games in four-straight seasons and has reached 120 tackles three years in a row, putting up exactly 120 with a sack and eight tackles for a loss in 2025.
They also come a week after the defense’s most senior leader Cam Heyward spoke out against the franchise tag, the mechanism the Steelers could use on Porter next year if he’s still on the team and both parties are unable to agree on a new contract.
“Stupid. It hampers players,” Heyward said to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “Why should any team be able to take advantage of a player for one year? It’s used in negotiations and I think between the player options, the franchise tags, the way they control rookies, I think it’s kind of backwards,” he added.
Why the Steelers Are an ‘Impasse’ With Porter
Part of what head coach Mike McCarthy labeled an “impasse” during training camp stems from the Steelers viewing Porter, a productive player who has yet to be named a Pro Bowler through three seasons, as shy of warranting a contact that would reset the market again. Porter, on the other hand, has watched similar players spike the market with big contracts throughout the offseason.
Porter, 26, is coming off a 2025 season in which he recorded 52 total tackles in 14 games. He also deflected 14 passes and picked off one. But Porter is two years removed from his best season of his young career yet. In 2024, Porter put up a career-high 70 combined tackles, 53 credited as solo, a couple tackles for a loss, seven pass deflections and an interception. He registered 43 tackles as a rookie.
A Porter Trade Could Be Polarizing for Steelers Fans
With the Steelers unwilling to budge on their stance, and Porter seemingly unwilling to meet in the middle, the most likely scenario is the two sides are unable to ever come to terms. And an eventual breakup between Pittsburgh and Porter would create a disappointing end to a franchise’s relationship with a legacy player.
A possible trade of Porter, 26, the son of the former popular Steelers linebacker Joey Porter Sr., comes with extra emotions for fans. Porter Sr. made four Pro Bowls and was part of a Super Bowl winning team in Pittsburgh. Fans figured his son would enjoy similar, if not greater, success when the Steelers brought him home by selecting him in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Penn State.
With Queen and with or without Porter, the Steelers will kickoff their Week 2 contest against the 0-1 Patriots at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 20.
Patrick Queen Makes Feelings About Steelers Teammate Joey Porter Jr. Clear