The Pittsburgh Steelers will be looking to secure their second win of the season when they travel to face the New England Patriots on Sunday. However, they will have to do so without their star cornerback, Joey Porter Jr.
Porter left Thursday’s practice injured, and the Steelers ruled him out for Sunday’s game.
The Steelers listed Porter’s injury status as NIR, meaning not injury-related, and also noted it as conditioning/back. Porter has a lot going on, and now he will miss his second straight game.
The Steelers Didn’t Reach a New Deal With Porter
Porter did not play in the Steelers’ Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons as he is recovering from a back injury he suffered on the first day of training camp in late July. He did not participate in any preseason games or practices during training camp, largely because of the injury. He is also looking for a new contract.
Porter is in the final year of his rookie deal and has been seeking a new contract all offseason, but he will not secure a deal this season. The Steelers will not negotiate new contracts with players once the season begins, so Porter will have to wait until free agency to work out a new deal with Pittsburgh.
“We won’t talk publicly about the negotiations, but Joey knows how we feel about him, and I still hope Joey finishes his career here,” Steelers general manager Omar Khan said in late August. “Our policy is going to remain in place, but I’m not going to talk about negotiations.”
Could the Steelers Still Trade Porter?
Since Porter doesn’t have a contract for next season, and who knows how long the Steelers will be waiting to see when he comes back from injury. They could just move on from him before this year’s trade deadline.
It might make sense to trade Porter now to get something in return since there is a good chance he won’t be back with Pittsburgh next season.
Even though Porter does seem like a trade candidate, ESPN’s Brooke Pryor and Jeremy Fowler stated on Friday that no teams had made any serious offers for Porter.
“The Steelers could trade Porter, though the team has neither made nor received any serious inquiries about the cornerback,” Fowler and Pryor wrote. One NFL executive believes the Steelers could get a second-round pick in exchange for Porter and a quality Day 3 draft selection.
It would be nice for the Steelers to receive a second-round pick in return for Porter, and that could happen as teams start to lose cornerbacks midseason.
Steelers Deliver Final Decision on Joey Porter Jr. Ahead of Week 2 Clash With Patriots