Former Steelers CB Ike Taylor Calls Out Darius Slay In Controversial X Comment Over Joey Porter Jr

The Pittsburgh Steelers have featured many talented defensive backs in the history of their franchise. That trend has continued into today's team as they roster one of the elite young cornerbacks in the NFL in Joey Porter Jr. His name has sparked tons of debate over the last few weeks as he looks to land a massive contract extension. He of course, wants to be one of the top paid corners in the league, which is rightfully so considering the production he shows on the field.

There are a lot of reasons to show why Porter deserves the money in a new deal and it's up to the Steelers to get that done before the season. Other former defensive backs of the Steelers recently jumped into the topic of Porter's skills on X, leading to some drama. That began with Darius Slay giving some insight on what he saw in Porter. Slay gave his deep analysis, but dropped a truth that some others from the outside didn't exactly like.

In his interview on ESPN, Slay criticized Porter's lack of interceptions, calling his hands suspect. However, Slay did say Porter deserved a big pay day and credited him on just about everything else with his game. There are multiple ways people can take this quote from Slay, and Steelers great Ike Taylor didn't hide his feelings about what Slay said on X.

"Glad I wasn’t in the era for biting da bait… an talkn bout the same side of the ball teammate," Taylor posted.

Taylor didn't like Slay coming after a former teammate, let alone a partner in the secondary. That stirred the pot some more on this situation and Slay replied on his comment defending himself.

"The h**l u talking bout! U over there sensitive as hell ain’t ya!!" Slay commented. "Idk what’s wrong with buddy acting like someone said something negative!"

Two legendary cornerbacks going back and forth about criticism on one of the top young stars in the game has Steeler Nation on edge. Slay is statistically correct however, as Porter has just three career interceptions. Nonetheless, his ability to prevent big plays and touchdowns have made up for the lack of takeaways.

Many are anticipating Porter to land an extension in the mid to upper $20M range. Reporters are also expecting Porter to sit out at the beginning of training camp until he lands his deal. That will be around the one to two week range, which has happened many times with other star players in the organization. 

Once Porter officially signs, it will take a major weight off the shoulders of the organization. Keeping him long-term is extremely important for this team and if he can take a team-friendly deal, then they can really work towards an all-around competitive team. 

As fans and the organization wait for this to get done, it's interesting to reflect on what this topic has revealed from people from the outside of the organization, specifically talking about this Slay/Taylor conflict. Both are two highly respected players with strong opinions. Taylor seems to always have Pittsburgh's back and has remained a loyal supporter after 12 seasons with the organization. He never left the Steelers and still sticks up for them to this day.

Steelers' Taylor And Porter Jr. Are Similar Players

Looking at the numbers, Taylor and Porter were very comparable players in terms of what Slay stated held Porter back. Both didn't intercept many passes, so maybe that is what Taylor really likes about Porter enough to stick up for him like this. Taylor may have saw himself in Porter. 

There will likely be more drama from the outside until this Porter deal happens, but at least Taylor still shows he bleeds black and gold.

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