Joey Porter Jr.’s contract situation already had plenty of moving parts. He’s heading into the final year of his rookie deal; he held in during Pittsburgh Steelers minicamp last week, and the cornerback market keeps climbing at a pace that makes waiting dangerous.
But there may be another layer to Pittsburgh’s hesitation.
Former NFL general manager Pat Kirwan raised an interesting point on SiriusXM NFL Radio’sMovin’ the Chains, and it had less to do with Porter’s resume than the defense he may now be playing in.
“Patrick Graham is now the D coordinator in Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh's been called Blitzburgh forever. They played a lot of man; Patrick Graham is still kind of a Cover 2 guy, more zone,” Kirwan said.
Porter’s value has been built around being a long, physical, man-to-man corner. He’s the type of player who can line up outside, get in a receiver’s face, and handle difficult assignments. That skill set is expensive in today’s NFL.
Zone corners are valuable, too. But they’re usually valued differently.
Joey Porter Jr.’s payday could be tied to Pittsburgh Steelers DC Patrick Graham’s plan
Kirwan explained why that distinction could become part of the Steelers’ thinking.
“If Joey Porter is going from the man-to-man cover corner, on your best receiver or your second best, to zone corner, my own experience has been that you wanna pay those guys less,” Kirwan said.
That’s the hidden issue in Porter’s extension talks. Pittsburgh may love the player and still wonder how much of his best trait will be featured in Graham’s defense.
Porter isn’t some unproven name anymore. Over three seasons, he’s totaled 165 tackles, 31 passes defensed, three interceptions and one sack. He’s developed into one of Pittsburgh’s most important young defenders and has a real argument to be paid before the market climbs again.
That’s where the timing gets tricky.
Patrick Surtain II pushed the cornerback market to $24 million per year in 2024. Derek Stingley Jr. took it to $30 million per year last year. Jaycee Horn followed Surtain, and Sauce Gardner followed Stingley. Trent McDuffie now sits at the top of the market at $31 million per year.
Christian Gonzalez and Devon Witherspoon are still waiting. Both are expected to come in north of that number, possibly into the mid-30s. They’ll almost certainly make more than Porter, but every jump at the top of the market still raises the price for everyone behind them.
That’s why Porter has reason to want something done now.
It’s also why the Steelers can’t let this drag too deep into the summer. Porter sitting out parts of training camp would be one thing in a familiar defense. It’d be another entirely with Patrick Graham installing a new system.
Teryl Austin called the Steelers’ defensive plays for Porter’s first three NFL seasons. Whatever changes were made from week to week, Porter was still operating within a structure he already understood. That’s no longer the case.
Graham, the former Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator, is bringing a different vision to Pittsburgh. If that means more zone, more Cover 2 principles, and different responsibilities for the outside corners, Porter needs every rep he can get. Technique, communication, and route distribution matter. So does understanding exactly when the defense wants him to carry a receiver, pass him off, or play with more vision on the quarterback.
That’s not something Pittsburgh wants its top corner sorting through on the fly.
Nick Herbig and Darnell Washington both signed extensions last week that kick in next spring. Keeanu Benton is also in line for a deal. Pittsburgh can’t pay everyone like a premium player at a premium position without deciding exactly how each player fits.
“Why are we paying them for man-to-man skills if we’re not gonna be in man-to-man all the time?," Kirwan posed, hypothetically.
That doesn’t mean Porter won’t get paid. It means the Steelers may be trying to price the player they expect him to be in Graham’s system, not just the player he’s already been.
But there’s risk in waiting, too. If Porter’s contract situation lingers into camp, Pittsburgh could be asking one of its most important young defenders to learn a new defense without actually practicing it.
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