Steelers' Joey Porter Jr Encouraged To Read The Room: "They Really Get Offended Over There In Pittsburgh"

The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting closer to the 2026 NFL regular season and their Week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. New head coach Mike McCarthy and his staff will have to cut down the roster to 53 players by 6:00 PM ET on August 30th prior to the opener. There are many storylines about the roster, given how aggressive the front office was bringing in new players for the 2026 season, but while the coaching staff has tough decisions to make, there is one player stealing headlines for the wrong reasons.

Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is currently looking to receive a contract extension from the franchise. While the team is not expected to trade the young defensive back, insider Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently reported that it should not be ruled out. In a recent post on his X account, Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 the Fan posted a video of former NFL defensive back Asante Samuel criticizing how the former Penn State cornerback is handling his contract situation with the organization. 

“I don’t think he’s handling the situation the best way,” Samuel said. “Not going to practice. You got to know when to read the room and who you’re dealing with. These people seem like they really get offended over there in Pittsburgh. They’re really in tune to what’s going on and their players and who their players are and paying their players.” 

Much of what was said by the former NFL defensive back is true. The contract situation surrounding the Black and Gold and Porter is definitely something that everyone is keeping a close eye on as the season keeps inching closer and an extension has not been reached. While a trade at this juncture is not likely, Dulac's report seems to indicate that could change if Pittsburgh feels another franchise is willing to overpay for their young cornerback.

Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham is also one of the new faces on the staff for the 2026 season. He looks to turn around a defense that just has not lived up to the expectations compared to some historical groups that have come before them. The one advantage he has playing into his hands in the Steel City is he arguably has more talent at his disposal compared to his time with the Las Vegas Raiders. One of those key players however, is Porter. In order for Graham to execute what he wants to do this season, he's going to need Porter on the field with no distractions.

Steelers See Bad Blood Resurface With Comments From Samuel

The one thing to note is that the son of Samuel, Asante Samuel Jr., was signed to Pittsburgh's practice squad last season. Now, his father has spoken about the contract of a teammate of his, which makes things quite interesting in terms of how the locker room could be in the first year under McCarthy. His son is also listed as the second cornerback on the depth chart right behind Porter as the contract extension saga continues.

This all could go away should the team and their fourth-year cornerback end up coming to terms before the time the ball is kicked off for Week 1. The one thing he improved upon in his 2025 season, which plagued him early on in his career, was the frequency in which he committed penalties. 

Porter started in a career-high 14 games in his 2025 NFL season with the Black and Gold. In that span, he had an interception, as well as 14 passes defended. While things certainly look bleak at this time when it comes to getting an extension completed, these kinds of negotiations can escalate quickly, so it is not crazy to rule out it getting done before the 2026 regular season. However, these recent comments just add another layer to the saga that has come from the situation.

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