Steelers Urged To Pay Key Defender Now After James Harrison’s Strong Warning

The Pittsburgh Steelers will have a lot of decisions to make on key players before the free agency period begins in March. There are players on the roster that will need to be extended to ensure they are part of the team's future plans, along with players that will need to be allowed to test the free agent market. Some of these players are younger, key pieces that deserve to carve out a future with the team, and regarding one of these important players, they need to be paid sooner rather than later.

One of the more impressive younger players on the roster is cornerback Joey Porter Jr., as he did not allow a single offensive touchdown when targeted all season. Porter Jr. will be in line for an extension this offseason, and there are plenty of people who believe that Porter Jr. needs to be paid.

Speaking on the most recent episode of Deebo & Joe, former outside linebacker James Harrison spoke on how well Porter Jr. played during the 2025 season, demanding the Steelers get him paid now, instead of waiting. His points regarding why the team needs to pay Porter Jr. now can be seen with a lot of young players who are playing at a high level in their first few years, with how paying them sooner leads to better results for the team in question.

"He ain't tryin' to kill 'em, you know what I'm saying?" Harrison said. "But hey, he might make 'em wish they was dead. Gotta get with the work, he worked for every bit of it. Y'all better pay him before somebody else does and sets the precedent."

Harrison is absolutely right that Porter Jr. worked for every bit of a future extension. As others have echoed, if the Steelers do not find a way to pay Porter Jr. and keep him on the roster, then another team certainly will. This team would be setting a precedent for paying cornerbacks, with the amount of money they could end up giving Porter Jr. for his efforts.

The Steelers went through a fair bit of turmoil at the cornerback position last season due to injuries. However, the one constant through all this was Porter Jr.'s high level of play, being one of the most consistent players on the entire team. While he did commit his share of penalties, his presence on the field had many more positives than negatives. 

Harrison's comment about getting Porter Jr. paid will certainly loom large if free agency goes into the later weeks and no action is taken. Porter Jr. is one of the Steelers' best up and coming players on the defensive side of the ball, and needs to be treated as such. Losing the young cornerback to another team will create a massive hole on the Steelers' defense, one that the organization cannot afford to have right now.

With an extension for the Penn State product hopefully on the horizon, the Steelers have a fantastic opportunity ahead of them that they need to take full advantage of. The defensive side of the ball contains plenty of the younger faces who have played very well in the past, all of whom are deserving to carve out a future with the franchise.

Steelers Should Pay The Entire Cornerback Room In Free Agency

The Steelers also need to ensure that cornerbacks James Pierre and Asante Samuel Jr. are given a fair chance to remain on the team in free agency. If the team can find a way to extend Porter Jr. while also retaining Pierre and Samuel Jr., the entire cornerback room can be locked up in one offseason. This would allow the Steelers to focus on other holes in the roster, and not pay attention to cornerback. Only time will tell on how the Steelers proceed, but extending Porter Jr. at the bare minimum seems inevitable.

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