Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy recently confirmed that the Steelers were at an impasse with cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who is entering the last year of his four-year rookie contract. This confirmed why Porter had been moved to the PUP list, with most expecting it was due to injuries.
Joey Porter Jr. knows that the Steelers do not hold contract negotiations during the season, and neither do they negotiate with players performing holdouts, so the cornerback has gone the other way, staging hold-ins by showing up to meetings but not taking part in OTAs. Jalen Ramsey felt the effects of it when he returned to training after being on the PUP list himself because of a knee injury in mini camp.
“We need the whole secondary out there. They’ve got to pay Joey Porter,” said Jalen Ramsey, according to The Athletic. “Joey needs to get compensated for being a valuable part of this secondary and a valuable part of this defense and team.”
Of the four players whom the Steelers drafted in 2023, three have already had their contracts renewed. Outside linebacker Nick Herbig signed a $100 million deal, tight end Darnell Washington signed for $42 million, and defensive tackle Keeanu Benton signed a $72 million deal.
Interestingly, all three players are second choices in their positions, while Porter, the only one who hasn’t extended his contract, is also the only one from the 2023 class who is the number one choice at left cornerback.
The cornerback market has seen a lot of changes over the past two years, but as of earlier this month, Devon Witherspoon’s four-year contract extension with the Seattle Seahawks has reset the market at $33 million.
All Porter wants is to be paid in the elite bracket, having shown he is an elite-level cornerback. According to Pro Football Focus, Porter hasn’t allowed a touchdown in more than 1,000 snaps in coverage. His last allowed touchdown was Week 8, 2023. That streak alone is proof of why Porter believes he deserved to be compensated accordingly.
But the several moving pieces in Pittsburgh since the end of last season mean there are new faces at the helm, and most of them have not worked in close proximity to Porter yet, given that he has been opting out of drills and reps.
As far as Coach McCarthy is concerned, he is accepting the situation as is, but he also admitted that he wants to work with Porter.
“This is a challenge for both Joey and us, because we’re a first-year staff,” said McCarthy. “We’ve seen him play. I’ve competed against Joey. I would love the opportunity to coach Joey Porter. I know our defensive guys would love the opportunity.”
Coach McCarthy wants to train Porter; Porter wants to remain in Pittsburgh. It’s all about ironing out the details now, and the clock is ticking. Just under three weeks before the Steelers kick off their campaign against the Atlanta Falcons, Joey Porter will hope he’s got his contract sorted so that he can play with a clear head.