When Joey Porter Jr decided to hold out at the start of training camp, fans thought it was just a matter of time before the former 32nd overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft signed an improved deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, a few weeks away from the start of the 2026 NFL season, an unresolved contract situation between Joey Porter Jr and the Steelers is the talk of the town, with a recent insider report shedding light on the current situation.
“BREAKING: Joey Porter Jr is unlikely to get a contract extension from the Steelers. Porter Jr values himself as one of the NFL’s top corners. And the Steelers don’t view him that way. This all comes from an excellent report by Chris Halicke of DK Pittsburgh Sports. I would pay Peezy Jr,” Andrew Fillipponi wrote on X.
Devon Witherspoon, a draft classmate of Joey Porter Jr, who was picked 5th overall, scored a four-year, $132 million deal with Seattle to set a massive $33 million yearly standard across the NFL. Porter’s camp wants top-tier money in that exact range, but Pittsburgh’s front office does not consider him in that elite bracket just yet.
The Steelers CB was ranked 5th on the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year list in the 2023 season. Since his debut, he has tried his best to follow in his one-time First-Team All-Pro and Super Bowl-winning father’s footsteps. Joey Porter Jr. has not given up a single touchdown pass in coverage since Week 8 of the 2023 season, marking the longest active streak in football. In 2025, he held opposing passers to a 48.5% completion rate with 14 pass breakups along with 165 combined tackles over his first 3 NFL seasons.
A big complaint against his game in previous years was his penalty issues. His work on this front was visible as he cleaned up his discipline, cutting penalty yards from 137 in 2024 down to 56 in 2025.
The contract holdout isn’t because the Steelers are being cheap or anything. Pittsburgh’s General manager Omar Khan already signed Keeanu Benton, Nick Herbig, Darnell Washington, and Chris Boswell to extensions. But with Pittsburgh’s strict policy against in-season contract negotiations, any deal not signed before the September 13 opener against Atlanta gets pushed to 2027.
Since he was the first pick of Round 2 in the 2023 NFL Draft, Porter’s contract doesn’t have any 5th-year option, so 2026 will be his contract year.
Trading him is off the table, as Chris Halicke confirmed. Instead, if talks stall, the franchise tag becomes Pittsburgh’s primary tool for 2027. It will tie Porter for another season as the front office figures out a long-term contract.
GM Omar Khan needs to balance out the massive salaries Pittsburgh pays to defenders like T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Cameron Heyward. A deal in the $30m range will strain the team’s salary cap with offensive line extensions coming up in 2027.
On the other hand, if Pittsburgh holds out and Joey Porter Jr has an All-Pro season, that bumps up his asking price in 2027. For now, both the player and the team seem ready to let his on-field play dictate the numbers next offseason.