"It's Not Realistic": Steelers' Omar Khan Drops Explosive Statement About Joey Porter Jr

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a great class come out of the 2023 NFL Draft. Two of the blossoming young players in Nick Herbig and Darnell Washington already received extensions that will keep them with the organization for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, having such a strong group of contributors coming from the same year also leads to complications when the collective is due for second contracts. Right now, Joey Porter Jr. will be the talk of training camp as he has not yet agreed to a new deal. Some speculate that it could be worth north of $30 million annually, but that now appears unlikely.

Keeanu Benton is another guy who could be rewarded with a fresh contract; however, it is becoming increasingly more likely that he will end up in the free-agent pool come 2027. The overall focus will, and should, be on Porter. The Steelers have not had a true lockdown corner for some time, and it would be a mistake to not extend him so that he stays in Pittsburgh for a long period of time.

While expectations may have been that the front office, led by Omar Khan, would find common ground with Porter's camp as training camp was set to begin, it appears that the two sides may be on completely opposite sides at the moment. The general manager spoke to the media on Tuesday and noted that nothing seems to be on the horizon right now.

"With respect to any of the contract stuff, you guys know we're not going to discuss it. Nothing's imminent right now with anyone, but if something happens, we'll obviously let you guys know," Khan said.

While the statement from Khan was relatively vague, it didn't stop reporters from digging for more information. In a shocking turn of events, he noted that it's not realistic for the Steelers to get all of these potential deals done.

"Yeah, you know, it's — that's a good question," Khan noted. "We obviously feel good about some of these young players. We always talk about drafting, developing and extending our guys. We'll see how it goes. Obviously, there's an interest in keeping a bunch of those guys here for a long time. Like you mentioned, we got a couple of those guys done. There's nothing imminent now. I'd like to keep them all if I could and, you know, it's not realistic you can do that [with] the way the cap works."

This will add even more fuel to the fire. There could be some serious differences in how the Steelers and Porter view his value. Khan did not mention anyone by name; however, Porter is the more important one to pay attention to. The leader of the front office even mentioned that he expected anyone who is healthy to practice, despite the fact that the cornerback will have an option to "hold-in".

Pittsburgh, as Khan mentioned, has always been known for drafting and developing. Then, the success stories end up being the beneficiaries of sizable second contracts. It is hard, however, to extend three to four guys from the same class in one offseason. This could be what Khan was hinting at. Regardless, the roads may be a little rocky with negotiations currently.

The Steelers can't afford to let Porter hit free agency in 2027. It would be a massive mistake that could seriously change the trajectory of the defense. Most of the playmakers are older and don't have too many years left, while the team's top corner has plenty of gas left in the tank moving forward.

Steelers Do Have Another Potential Option With Porter

Depending on how Porter performs in 2026, the organization could elect to slap him with the franchise tag to keep him from going elsewhere. That is, if Pittsburgh decides not to extend him at some point prior to the season starting. Khan and co. may simply believe that it would be beneficial for his new deal to be completed after he proves that he truly is turning into one of the NFL's best at the cornerback position.

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