Joey Porter Jr Hit With Quick Reality Check As Steelers Might Have Unexpected Plans

The Pittsburgh Steelers had an extremely busy 2026 offseason. It included the vast majority of the coaching staff being overhauled and plenty of new faces joining the roster. The franchise is hoping to win its first postseason contest since the 2016 campaign, and it is facing the tough task of repeating as AFC North champions. The backbone of the organization has always been defense, so a lot of storylines regarding the unit are starting to come to light with training camp and the preseason on the horizon. One of the most interesting situations is revolving around Joey Porter Jr. and his potential contract extension.

The market for top corners is about to explode, but not necessarily because of Porter. Christian Gonzalez of the New England Patriots and Devon Witherspoon of the Seattle Seahawks are both going to potentially be receiving $30 million or more on an annual average value basis. At the end of the day, it's fair for Porter to believe he is worth the same, but also reasonable if the front office views him as someone who is in the second tier.

Any deal will undoubtedly be worth more than $20 million per season; however, it could get interesting if the Steelers aren't willing to get close to that 30 number. Additionally, guaranteed cash is always something that is relevant in negotiations. Pittsburgh might be doing itself a disservice if it won't get anything done prior to Gonzalez and Witherspoon signing. On the contrary, Porter could be the one waiting to see what happens to the market.

On Monday morning, Gerry Dulac joined the Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show and was asked about what could be going on behind the scenes. In a relatively surprising response, the insider noted that this hypothetical extension is not necessarily going to be as lucrative as some believe it will be.

"I think it will get done only because their attempts to strengthen the position would suddenly weaken the position," Dulac said. "I do not think that the Steelers believe Joey Porter is a top-five cornerback like some people want to suggest; and that he's going to set the market. That's just not true."

Dulac is very plugged into what is going on with the Steelers, so his words should have some legitimacy. He also threw out the numbers that everyone has focused on, and sort of shut down the notion that Pittsburgh is going to pay up.

"I can tell you this idea that people think that he's gonna get 25 to 30 million a year, I don't think the Steelers believe that," Dulac noted. "I don't wanna say he's not worth it. I just don't see them going there because I don't think they wanna go there."

Time will tell what the two sides agree on, if anything. The team risks Porter entering free agency and leaving altogether in 2027 if some kind of long-term extension cannot be worked out prior to the 2026 regular season.

The Steelers have not gotten the cornerback position right in recent years, specifically when it comes to the NFL Draft. Porter has only gotten better and turned into a legitimate lockdown type of defender. He deserves another contract and the expectation has always been that something will get done; however, questions could start to arise if pen isn't put to paper sooner rather than later.

If Porter is waiting on Witherspoon and Gonzalez, it would be pretty surprising to see him "hold-in" at training camp. For all anyone knows, Pittsburgh has offered him something substantial and he is simply waiting to see if another bargaining chip is thrown in his direction.

Steelers Could Sacrifice Guaranteed Money To Reduce Yearly Number

Pittsburgh might have a couple of different ways to get this deal done with Porter. If the franchise only sees him as someone who is worth $22-23 million on a yearly basis, a way to offset that would be offering more guaranteed cash. Overall, it's been pretty quiet of late regarding this possible deal, so Dulac's words could trigger a little more speculation moving forward.

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