The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the middle of a nasty contract situation, and it's even worse with the fact that they refuse to negotiate once they kick off the season opener. Reports have claimed that they haven't even offered a contract to Joey Porter Jr. in the hopes that he plays out the rest of his rookie contract, and then they can re-evaluate his situation in 2027. Meanwhile, he has yet to practice or participate in the preseason as he waits for any sort of offer from General Manager Omar Khan.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Pittsburgh Steelers star defenders Joey Porter Jr. (24) and Jalen Ramsey (5) stand on the field as they watch their team workout during a 2026 training camp practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
The problem is that we are now in September, and everyone is counting the days until the regular season begins. The Steelers have less than two weeks to begin negotiations and get on the same page as Porter. He did return to practice, but who knows if anything will get done. The team hopes that he will just play the season out and go from there.
That may not happen the way the Steelers anticipate. In his first media appearance since the summer program, Porter was asked if he would play Week 1, and he refused to commit to that decision.
"I don’t know," Porter said. "I have to talk to the guys upstairs, my agents about that one."
This may or may not be a bluff to make Pittsburgh offer him some sort of extension. The question then would be if the Steelers will call his bluff and stand their ground or if they'll give in. Either way, time is ticking, and someone will have to give in. If not, this has a chance of being another Le'Veon Bell situation with an in-season holdout to try and break Khan and his staff.
The biggest question here for the Steelers is why would they do this? Porter is an elite cornerback who can shut down other teams' top receivers with ease. His penalty problem has gotten much better in 2025, and the lack of interceptions is really a non-issue. He is the kind of player that makes life easy on the defense by allowing them to focus on someone other than the WR1.
Karl Roster / Pittsburgh Steelers
Joey Porter Jr. celebrates following a crucial interception in the 4th quarter of the Steelers' 27-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season.
In 2025, Porter gave up an average of 2-3 receptions for about 24 yards per game while matching up against both 1s and 2s. That is not even great; it's borderline generational. It just doesn't make sense why the Steelers would look at his dominance and decide that he's not even worth talking to, let alone paying him like a Top 5 cornerback in the NFL.
While the Steelers do have lots of depth at cornerback, they don't have another Porter on the team. Even with how amazing Asante Samuel Jr. was in training camp, he can't be expected to become a starter and simply do what the 2023 second-round pick did. Jamel Dean is about to be 30 years old, so there is a lot of fear over his ability taking a steep decline sooner rather than later.
Steelers Seem To Not Have Their Priorities Straight With Contract Extensions
It's not like the Steelers are willing to give out massive paydays, as they did throughout the 2026 offseason. However, all three of the players that got paid are beginning the campaign as backups with the hope that they can make a difference as a depth piece now, and maybe as a starter in 2027. Meanwhile, the guy they refuse to pay has the ability to be a problem on every single defensive snap right now, as opposed to the future.
What do you think about Porter possibly skipping Week 1 and holding out until the Steelers give him what he wants? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
#SteelerNation