The Pittsburgh Steelers are 1-1 on the year, with a divisional contest against the Cincinnati Bengals next on the slate. While that is the focus of the players and coaches in the building, it appears that nothing is improving between management and cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers didn't meet Porter Jr.'s asking price of $30 million, which will cause the situation to remain at a standstill until further notice.
"They're not talking to him anymore. I don't see how Joey Porter Jr. will go play this year for just south of $4 million when he walked away from what would have been just north of $27 million this year. To me, that makes everything he did in the spring and in training camp pointless.
Why would he do all that and then go out and play? I don't understand it. We'll see what happens," Dulac said on Sunday via the 102.5 WDVE pregame show.
And since Porter Jr. hasn't suited up this year with what is being called a back injury, this report shows that nothing will change on a contract front, which means he'll likely stay on the sideline until further notice.
Steelers and Joey Porter Jr. appear no closer to ending contract standoff
CBS Sports lead NFL sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson reported that Porter Jr. has been cleared of his back injury, but it will be up to him whether he takes the field or not. Yet, based on the contract update, there's a real chance he doesn't step onto the field for Pittsburgh.
Going back to the summer, Porter Jr. made it clear he was looking for a new deal, and he made his asking price known at $30 million per year. There are only six cornerbacks in the NFL who make $30 million or more, and they are some of the top guys in the league.
Top billed NFL cornerbacks in average annual value:
• Christian Gonzalez ($33.75 million)
• Devon Witherspoon ($33 million)
• Denzel Ward ($31.1 million)
• Trent McDuffie ($31 million)
• Sauce Gardner ($30.1 million)
• Derek Stingley Jr. ($30 million)
When you look at that list, putting Porter Jr. in that caliber may be a stretch, depending on who you ask, and it looks like Pittsburgh feels the same way. Offering him $27 million a year isn't that far off, and it also looks like they aren't going to move off that number either.
Pittsburgh, as an organization, isn't known for negotiating contracts once the regular season begins, and that goes to show there won't be any movement with Porter Jr.
They offered him a deal they felt comfortable with, but the Penn State product isn't content with that. Considering the price point Pittsburgh is at and his back injury being cleared, it's in his court whether he steps on the field, but there's reason to doubt he will.
He's seemingly drawn a line in the sand, and this report shows that nothing has progressed. There's a chance Porter Jr. played his last snap as a Steeler, as no resolution looks to be in the cards. This has been a storyline around the team for weeks now, and it looks like it will continue to drag on a bit more.
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