"Shame On Him": Steelers' Joey Porter Jr Gets Strong Wake-Up Call Thanks To Le'Veon Bell

The Pittsburgh Steelers have found themselves in a predicament with star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. After being selected 32nd overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, the defender has gotten better year over year as he has climbed the rankings of being a top-notch player at his position. Despite this, he and the organization remain at an impasse in contract negotiations. He is certainly worth a lot of money, but it's possible that the two sides are on opposite ends of the table in terms of average annual value and guaranteed cash. There seems to be no clear resolution in sight with the regular season just weeks away.

It has now become possible that the Steelers won't end up agreeing with Porter on a new deal at all. If this occurred, the corner could be franchise tagged in 2027, and that could lead to even more issues. It's hard to imagine, however, that the former second-round selection would completely hold out during the season. Pittsburgh doesn't negotiate from mid-September through the end of the campaign, so it wouldn't be a very wise move overall.

There is a little precedent for this if it were to happen. Back in 2018, star running back Le'Veon Bell was one of the best ball carriers in the league. He wanted to reset his position's market, and by doing so, lost a lot of leverage and respect at the same time. The end result was him not playing a single game during a year in which he was in his prime. He eventually landed with the New York Jets and his career sputtered from there on out.

In a roundabout way, Porter should remember when this happened. In fact, his dad, Joey Porter Sr., was part of the coaching staff that year. Both the father and the son should use this as an example of what not to do in the coming weeks. It even came up on a recent episode of Steelers Collective. When discussing the contract dilemma, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette beat writer Ray Fittipaldo mentioned that Porter Jr. was around for the challenging situation.

"Joey was probably hanging out at the facility with Dino Tomlin when Le'Veon Bell was doing his stuff in 2018," Fittipaldo said. "So, if he didn't, if he didn't get the message then, if he didn't figure it out, shame on him."

Fittipaldo has been around the Steelers for a good while and probably remembers when Mike Tomlin's son was hanging around the facility with Porter Jr. If there was a recipe for what not to do, it is what Bell decided was best for him at the time — and that was not play football. He has admitted in his post-playing career that he now knows how much of a mistake it was. Porter Jr. could learn a lesson from it.

The Steelers often are very good at keeping information behind closed doors so for all anyone knows, there have been some discussions that are trending positively. However, if a lot of the reports out there are true, it's becoming increasingly more likely that the cornerback will be playing the 2026 season on his rookie deal, with a franchise tag or free agency on the horizon for 2027.

Many fans would argue that Pittsburgh extending three from the 2023 NFL Draft class but leaving Porter Jr. out would be a big loss. That's an easy statement to agree with because of just how good the defender was in 2025. Regardless, there are a little over two weeks for the two sides to agree on something, or the relationship could sour quickly.

Steelers Would Be At A Major Disadvantage On Defense Without Porter Jr.

While free-agent signings and depth are relevant in Pittsburgh's cornerbacks room, no one there is more valuable than the shutdown guy that Porter Jr. is. The Steelers have a history of getting deals done at the very last minute in a lot of cases, so there is still hope for the franchise to put pen to paper with its former second-round pick.

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