The Pittsburgh Steelers struck gold when they drafted cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and it was assumed that he would get a lucrative extension this offseason to keep him around long-term. Instead, his fellow 2023 draftees Nick Herbig, Darnell Washington, and Keeanu Benton have all been given four-year deals to remain in Pittsburgh, while Porter remains without a new contract.
With only a few weeks to go before the regular season gets underway, there doesn't seem to be an end in sight to the ongoing talks between both sides. Trade rumors even began to pop up recently, signaling that it may not be a foregone conclusion that Porter even finishes his rookie deal with the Steelers.
While I think the trade talk is likely nothing worth paying attention to as of now, Pittsburgh needs to make a decision about his future before things drag on any longer. With Aaron Rodgers returning for one last ride and several other veterans (like Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt) running out of time to make a deep playoff run with the Steelers, they can't afford to let this situation continue past the end of the preseason.
The Pittsburgh Steelers must make a decision about Joey Porter Jr. now, before things get any more complicated
It's pretty obvious what has made this issue linger this far into the preseason. Several CBs have reset the market this offseason, including fellow 2023 draft pick Devon Witherspoon and his record-breaking four-year, $132 million deal. Another 2023 pick, Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez, could raise the pay ceiling for CBs even higher if he signs before the season.
According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh seems unwilling to give Porter a deal that would place him near the top of the new CB market. While it's fair for the Steelers to be hesitant to pay him close to, if not more than, $30 million per season after just one year of truly excellent tape, that's the cost of business when you fail to stay ahead of the market in the NFL.
Unless Porter was adamant about being in the $30 million range from the get-go, he should have been the first player general manager Omar Khan extended this offseason. All of the other extension candidates that were ultimately given new deals were never going to command anything close to the top of their position's respective markets, so there would have been far less risk involved if Khan waited to get those deals done.
None of that matters now, though. Whether it's a new deal, a trade, or a shelving of talks until after this season, both sides need to come to an agreement soon before it impacts the start of the season.
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