If you're reading this, I'm sure you're old enough to have heard the old saying, 'Two wrongs don't make a right.' This is a lesson the Pittsburgh Steelers could be forced to learn the hard way if they are willing to dish out the contract that Joey Porter Jr. is seeking.
We knew that it was never about a back injury for Porter; it was about money. After staging a hold-in all summer, Porter watched from the sidelines in street clothes during Pittsburgh's Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons. As we enter Week 2, it appears his participation is ramping up... but that hardly means he's going to play on Sunday.
Steelers fans have been banging the table for a deal to get done, but Omar Khan and the front office have made it clear that they don't negotiate once the season starts. One thing common argument we've heard is that, 'If the Steelers were willing to overpay for DK Metcalf, they'd better be willing to do the same for Joey Porter Jr.'
And, folks, this is a path we don't want to tread down.
The Pittsburgh Steelers can't afford to overpay for Joey Porter Jr. as they did with DK Metcalf
In Week 1, Metcalf might have been the worst player on the football field on either side of the ball in Pittsburgh's home game against Atlanta. Metcalf was called for a pair of offensive pass interference penalties, while earning just 40 receiving yards on 10 targets and blatantly dropping two passes.
If this were a one-time incident, we wouldn't be so concerned. Sadly, we know Metcalf isn't a consistent option on a game-to-game basis. Regardless, the Steelers elected to hand him a massive four-year, $132 million contract during the 2025 offseason, which, at the time, made him a top-five player at the position.
Now Steelers fans are quick to use Metcalf's disgustingly bad contract as a means of giving Porter a similar deal. But this argument could quickly blow up in their faces.
Yes, Porter is coming off the best season of his career, and yes, he's in his athletic prime. But he's asking for top dollar after just one elite season.
In 2024, Porter was the most penalized cornerback in the league, and his inconsistencies were on full display. The high-variance nature of the cornerback position could have him reverting to some of his old ways—especially considering he sat out the entire offseason and would be playing in a completely new defense.
I remember that, at the time of the Metcalf trade, nobody seemed to be upset with the deal (though I had major doubts). Metcalf had a reputation as a 1,000-yard receiver and two-time Pro Bowler. However, $33 million in new average annual value was a ton to pay up for a player with inconsistencies.
The same could be true with Joey Porter Jr.
Steelers could set Joey Porter Jr. up for impossible task to live up to his billing on a new deal
As good as he is, Porter isn't Pat Surtain II or Christian Gonzalez. He's not Devon Witherspoon or Sauce Gardner. He's a handsy CB who thrives in man coverage and lacks elite ball skills.
We know what he's good at and what he lacks. And because he's only had one great season (not to mention no Pro Bowl or All-Pro accolades), Porter always felt like a $25 million-per-year cornerback. But when we're talking about paying him $33-plus million per season, this feels like a disaster waiting to happen.
How fast will fans turn on Porter and the front office if he doesn't live up to his billing as a $30-million cornerback?
The Steelers traded for DK Metcalf and made him one of the richest receivers in the NFL—that's a fact; it happened. But just because they made a poor decision with Metcalf doesn't mean they should repeat this mistake with Porter.
There are plenty of cases to be made as to why the Pittsburgh Steelers should work to extend Joey Porter Jr.'s contract. However, using the egregious Metcalf deal to justify overpaying Porter should not be one of them.
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