Steelers Finally Have Lucrative Price Tag Revealed On A Joey Porter Jr Extension

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a handful of contract situations to pay attention to throughout the remainder of the 2026 offseason. These situations were put on the back burner while free agency was going on and the draft was still on the horizon, but now that the roster is mostly filled out, it is time to think about extensions. Players who were drafted in 2023 are now eligible for extensions, and there is a good group of players who should be considered. Joey Porter Jr., Nick Herbig, Keeanu Benton, and Darnell Washington all arguably deserve new deals with the franchise.

Herbig's situation is by far the most complicated out of the entire group. He has made plays whenever he has been given the opportunity to do so, and it is fair to say that he would be a starter on at least 30 other teams. His contract situation could get messy, while Porter's situation seems to be more cut and dry. The young cornerback has seemingly gotten better in each year of his career so far, the trajectory of his play continues to rise. He was still aggressive in 2025 but was penalized way less, which is a great sign of growth. Beat writer Mike DeFabo hosted a mailbag on The Athletic, and he was asked to predict what an extension might look like for Porter.

"Trent McDuffie and Sauce Gardner recently signed four-year deals worth upward of $120 million at the end of their rookie deals," DeFabo wrote. "Derek Stingley Jr. signed a three-year, $90 million deal. If I’m Joey Porter Jr.’s agent, I’m asking for $30 million a year. If I’m the Steelers, I point out that McDuffie has been a First Team All-Pro and Gardner and Stingley have been selected to two Pro Bowls each, while Porter hasn’t been selected to one. I’d counter with something similar to what Tyson Campbell got in 2024 (four years, $76.5 million)."

DeFabo believes that Porter's agent should be asking the franchise for $30 million per year, which would put him into the top four when it comes to highest-paid cornerbacks. The Steelers have some good negotiating power as the young defender has not earned any major accolades, despite the fact that his play clearly puts him in the top 10 when it comes to corners around the league.

DeFabo suggested that Pittsburgh might counter with something in the range of $20 million per season. Although Porter does not have a Pro Bowl or All-Pro under his belt, he likely will eventually. Teams always like to say that players are to be paid for what they will do on the contract, not what they have done in the past. That argument goes in Porter's favor as he is bound to become an All-Pro or Pro Bowler in 2026. DeFabo gave out a range for what Porter might get paid.

"I won’t continue this skit, but based on these comps and the way the market has exploded at the position, the Steelers will probably have to open their wallet pretty wide and give Porter around $22 million to $27 million per year," DeFabo wrote.

The only problem with this range is that Porter's teammate, Jalen Ramsey, is currently making roughly $24 million per year. Porter should probably not sign for anything less than that. He is better than Ramsey, although the veteran was forced to switch positions in 2025. It is fair to say that Porter deserves at least $25 million per season, and he should realistically be getting more than that.

Steelers Are Being Forced To Make A Decision On Porter A Year Early

Porter's draft positioning is extremely unique as the Steelers selected him with the 32nd overall pick back in 2023. Any other year that is a first-round pick, but not in 2023. The Miami Dolphins were forced to forfeit their selection, which caused the first round to only have 31 slots. Porter was technically the first pick of the second round, which means his rookie deal did not come with a fifth-year option. This forces the organization to have extension talks one year early.

What do you think about Porter's price tag? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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