Joey Porter Jr.’s contract situation already had plenty of tension. He’s a young cornerback who views himself as one of the NFL’s better players at the position. He’s also entering the point where his second contract should become a major organizational priority for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Then the Steelers paid Nick Herbig first.
That’s where former NFL general manager and SiriusXM NFL Radio host Pat Kirwan sees a potential problem. Pittsburgh didn’t just reward Herbig. It gave him a four-year, $100 million deal even though he’s still behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith on the depth chart.
For Porter, that may be hard to ignore.
“The Herbig deal gets me more than anything if I’m him,” Kirwan said on "Movin' the Chains." “He’s the backup, and he got four years and $100 million.”
That's what makes this tricky for the Steelers. Herbig’s value to Pittsburgh is obvious. He’s young, disruptive, productive, and part of the team’s long-term defensive plan. Paying him wasn’t some wild idea.
But timing matters in NFL locker rooms, though, as does hierarchy.
Porter’s a starting cornerback. Herbig’s currently a rotational outside linebacker. That doesn’t mean Herbig’s deal was a mistake, but it does give Porter’s camp a starting point once negotiations get serious.
Pittsburgh Steelers may have complicated Joey Porter Jr.’s contract situation
Porter doesn’t need much help believing he belongs near the top of the cornerback market. He’s carried himself that way since entering the league, and the Steelers have leaned on him like a core piece of their defense.
And that’s why Kirwan believes Pittsburgh should've taken a different approach.
“You would've almost liked to do the Porter deal first, so the kid’s not staring at the Herbig deal while you’re negotiating with him,” Kirwan said.
Porter isn’t negotiating in a vacuum anymore. He can look across the locker room and see Herbig’s number. He can look at Darnell Washington’s new four-year, $42 million extension, too.
Neither player carries Porter’s profile as a full-time starter at a premium position.
Now the Steelers have to convince Porter that his deal belongs in a different bucket while he’s staring at proof that Pittsburgh’s willing to spend aggressively on younger players.
“The question is, would he have taken $100 million for four, a 25 million average?” Kirwan asked.
That may be the real problem. If Porter had accepted that before Herbig’s deal, Pittsburgh may have lost leverage by waiting.
Now $25 million per year might look less like a win for Porter and more like the floor.
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