If Omar Khan and the Pittsburgh Steelers thought they had a dilemma with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. before, it just got a whole lot worse. As the Steelers-Porter standoff continued, the New England Patriots gave their star cornerback, Christian Gonzalez, a rich new deal.
Early Tuesday morning—just one day before the Patriots are set to kick off the 2026 season with a Super Bowl rematch against the Seattle Seahawks—the Patriots and Gonzalez agreed to terms on a record-setting contract. Gonzalez received a four-year extension worth $135 million in new money and $102 million in guarantees, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported.
The deal pays Gonzalez $33.75 million per season in new money average, making him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history.
And with that, Khan might have lost every chance of getting Porter to sign with the Steelers before the start of the season.
Joey Porter Jr.'s future deal just got pricier... and the Pittsburgh Steelers can no longer afford it
With Gonzalez breaking the bank, the Pittsburgh Steelers have reached a breaking point with Porter. Reports already say the two sides were far apart on contract terms, and that will only make the standoff worse.
Porter is seeking top-tier cornerback money, and, in late August, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that Porter will be the league's highest-paid cornerback when he receives his new deal—whether it's the Steelers or some other team paying him.
Without earning a single Pro Bowl or as much as an All-Pro vote in his first three NFL seasons, it's hard to justify why Porter should get paid more than Gonzalez or the Seahawks' Devon Witherspoon. Unfortunately, that's how these contracts typically work.
Porter has just one elite season out of three, and the Steelers' new coaching staff—including head coach Mike McCarthy and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham—wanted to see him on the field first before giving a player they never coached that type of money.
Meanwhile, the Steelers clearly made a last-ditch effort to try to win playoff games now. This was evident when they brought back a 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers. Pittsburgh currently has the oldest roster in the NFL. Winning now is a priority, and Porter would help the cause if he returns to the field.
Sadly, after Christian Gonzalez's deal, we can argue that the Steelers simply can't afford to throw that kind of money at Porter in a knee-jerk reaction before the 2026 season. We are just days away from the Steelers' kickoff game against the Atlanta Falcons in Pittsburgh, and it feels highly unlikely that a Joey Porter Jr. extension will get done at this point.
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