The Pittsburgh Steelers recently extended a third member of their impressive 2023 draft class, signing defensive tackle Keeanu Benton to a four-year, $72 million deal on Friday. Benton joined Nick Herbig and Darnell Washington, who also signed four-year extensions to remain with the team through the rest of the decade.
Notably absent from the list of newly extended Steelers is Joey Porter Jr., who is yet to return from a back injury that landed him on the Physically Unable to Perform list to start training camp. Some think that his back will feel a lot better once he gets his new deal, but a different franchise's big extension may have made that contract harder to negotiate.
The Seattle Seahawks and 2023 fifth overall pick Devon Witherspoon agreed to a four-year, $132 million extension on Saturday, officially pushing the top of the cornerback market to $33 million per year. With Patriots star CB Christian Gonzalez (yet another 2023 draft pick) also looking for a new deal, the Steelers are running out of time to extend Porter Jr. at the most team-friendly price point possible.
Devon Witherspoon's new deal complicates things for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Joey Porter Jr.
To be clear, Witherspoon and Porter Jr. are not the same caliber of player. As strong as his play was in 2025, Witherspoon edges out Porter Jr. in multiple areas. He has the versatility to be a force inside as a nickel corner, mirror receivers as a boundary corner, and is a hellacious blitzer. Just ask Drake Maye.
Devon Witherspoon brings the heat and Nwosu finishes the play 🔥
— NFL (@NFL) February 9, 2026
Super Bowl LX on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/kvQIdjdPgs
As impactful as Porter Jr. can be, it just doesn't compare to what the Seahawks ask of Witherspoon. However, contracts in the NFL are not always based on who the best players are. Instead, it's more about who was paid most recently, and how that deal changes the overall wage scale for that position.
By signing this deal, every corner who can reasonably argue that they are in Witherspoon's area code as a player will be able to ask for a little bit more money than they would have otherwise. Maybe instead of Porter Jr.'s agent wanting 27 or 28 million per season, now that number could be closer to 30.
It doesn't seem like much of a difference in the grand scheme of things, and maybe it isn't. But all the Steelers are doing by not finding common ground with their star corner is watching his price go up. If Gonzalez does end up signing here shortly (and his deal may push things closer to $35 million per year), it will just give Porter Jr. more ammunition to bring to the negotiating table. Pittsburgh's best move is to try and end this standoff and make a definitive decision. Let's see if they do the right thing.
Add us as a preferred source on Google