The Pittsburgh Steelers have about two weeks to sign cornerback Joey Porter Jr. before the start of the 2026 regular season. If a deal is going to happen, it’s going to have to occur soon.
If an update from Porter’s representation means anything, that might be exactly what’s about to happen.
New Steelers safety Jaquan Brisker, who was teammates with Porter at Penn State, recently shared a picture of himself and Porter in a Nittany Lions uniform on his Instagram story.
Brisker included the caption: “The people say .. they wanna see this again!”
Porter’s agent, Andre Odom, responded, writing his own short caption: “Run it Back! Soon.”
The cornerback is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Porter has reportedly been seeking an extension throughout the offseason and training camp.
The Steelers famously don’t negotiate contract extensions during the regular season. The team will face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 on Sunday, September 13.
Will Steelers’ Joey Porter Jr. Get Contract Extension Soon?
There’s been a lot of negativity with Porter’s contract negotiations lately. On Thursday, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac and ESPN’s Adam Schefter both reported the cornerback and team have made very little progress on a deal.
Steelers insider Mark Kaboly didn’t offer much better news Friday.
“I know [the Steelers] feel that it’s not going to happen. There’s gonna be a long shot for it to happen,” said Kaboly on 93.7 The Fan’s The PM Team, via Steelers Depot’s Jeremy Pike.
The good news is Kaboly doesn’t buy his own report.
“I don’t know if I really buy that … I think they’re believing that it’s likely not going to happen as how it’s sitting right now. So, Joey’s gonna have to basically come to them and change his demands, I guess.
“But that can very easily happen, too.”
As discussed Thursday, there’s a lot of gamesmanship with NFL contracts. It’s possible Kaboly’s Steelers sources are presenting a front that a deal isn’t going to occur so Porter is the one who caves in negotiations.
Porter’s agent’s short social media message might ultimately mean nothing. But for now, it’s giving Steelers Nation a glimmer of hope that a deal is still coming.
Porter Still on PUP List
There are a lot of potential factors to the Porter extension negotiations. One of the more intriguing wrinkles with the cornerback this summer is his back injury.
Porter didn’t practice at all during training camp. The team placed him on the PUP list in late July because of a back injury.
However, pundits have speculated recently the injury isn’t serious, instead suggesting Porter’s PUP stint is hiding a contract hold-in situation.
If that’s the case, the Steelers are unlikely to activate Porter from the PUP list until the two sides agree on an extension. If Porter begins the regular season on the PUP list, then he must miss the first four games of the campaign.
The Steelers do have their best cornerback depth in years. Therefore, they might be able to overcome the loss of Porter in 2026, but the defense will also be much better with him on the field.
Last season, Porter posted 52 combined tackles with 14 pass defenses and one interception in 14 games.
Steelers’ Joey Porter Jr. Agent Drops Encouraging 4-Word Contract Update