The Pittsburgh Steelers have turned over a new leaf this offseason, moving from Mike Tomlin to Mike McCarthy. With a new leader running the show, it's all about who will be a building block going forward, and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is one of those guys.
Porter Jr. is entering the final year of his rookie deal, but based on how he's played through his first three years, he's slated to get an extension sooner rather than later. And if the Steelers were smart, they should start warming up the Brinks truck.
Joey Porter Jr. is giving the Pittsburgh Steelers a very expensive reason to smile
ESPN spoke with league executives, coaches, and scouts to help rank the top 10 players at cornerback. While Porter Jr. wasn't in the top 10, he was an honorable mention.
"He takes all the stress off the pass defense. He matches the best receiver in man coverage, and teams roll away from him in zone," one NFC defensive coach said.
Steelers fans already had a connection with Porter Jr. after his father, Joey, played for Pittsburgh from 1999 to 2006. Since 2023, Porter Jr. has been put into the starting lineup and has seen his production improve.
Over the last three campaigns, Porter Jr. has given up a passer rating of 71.2 in coverage. In 2025, he posted a career-low 57.1 passer rating. In 47 games (41 starts), the Penn State product has logged 165 total tackles, 31 pass deflections, and three interceptions.
During 2025, his completion rate allowed (47.8 percent) was sixth, while his passer rating allowed (57.1 percent) and his forced incompletions (16) were third among cornerbacks. In addition, he gave up 32 catches for 325 yards with zero receiving scores allowed.
Porter Jr. also finished with a 74.1 coverage grade (20th among 114 graded cornerbacks) on Pro Football Focus last year. Despite being the clear-cut CB1 for this team, Porter Jr. answered the call and consistently made things difficult for opposing teams' top receivers.
Spotrac projects that Porter will get a three-year, $70.3 million extension, which comes out to $23.4 million per year. While the Steelers would love that kind of deal, it seems low, and realistically, Porter will look to get a deal commanding $30 million or more annually.
The three highest-paid cornerbacks (Trent McDuffie, Sauce Gardner, and Derek Stingley Jr.) all make at least $30 million per season. Porter Jr. isn't going to accept any deal lower than that. Considering how good a player he's been, the Steelers should start backing up the Brinks truck to give the 25-year-old the massive extension he's earned.
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