The Pittsburgh Steelers have described their own contract situation with star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. as an "impasse." There has been no progress made throughout training camp or the preseason, as there have reportedly been no offers even made to him or his agent. For a while, it looked like General Manager Omar Khan was simply hoping that the corner would just play out the last year of his deal and see how they feel about him in 2027. For someone of his caliber, that seemed to be an unfair ask.
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Pittsburgh Steelers star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) stands on the field while his teammates get a workout in during a 2026 training camp practice taking place at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
That seems to finally be changing. On the Tuesday before Week 1, NFL insider Mike Garafolo finally was able to give a positive report on the whole situation during a recent episode of The Insiders.
"We have said that there hasn't been an offer made," Garafolo said. "Update: there has been an offer made. I am told via sources that the Steelers have made an offer. It is not good enough for this one to be deemed 'close,' but the Steelers are showing a willingness to engage, which means we got a couple of days for both sides to figure out what are the right numbers to get a deal done. There is a lot of work to be done from my understanding. I would not call it imminent; I would not call it close, but I will call it an actual negotiation now that the Steelers have made an offer."
While Garafolo made sure to note that the Steelers and Porter are nowhere near done with these negotiations, the fact that an offer has been made is still significant progress. While it begs the question of why it took so long just to make a single offer, this is a great sign for what's to come. Time is very limited, but it's not outright impossible.
The cornerback market has been rising rapidly, with deals being made for about $25 million per year in 2025. That number has increased rapidly to just under $34 million per year in the 2026 offseason. By waiting so long, it seems like the Steelers cost themselves way more money than they saved if they engaged in negotiations sooner, but whether they agree to terms or not is to be determined.
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Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan in the team's war room on the phone during the NFL Draft.
It's unclear what Porter was offered, but whatever it is is clearly not enough. If he wants to be paid like a top-five cornerback at least, he's going to be looking at getting at least $30.1 million per year. Of course, the Steelers are notoriously stingy with guarantees, so that is most likely part of the hold-up as well. Either way, the deal needs to get better quickly so they can get it done by kickoff.
Steelers And Porter Can Talk Business More After Latest News
One important thing to note is that Porter has the same agent as Christian Gonzalez, who also plays cornerback and came from the same draft class as the former second-round pick. The agency, WIN Sports Group, was focused more on working with the New England Patriots to get a record-setting deal done for Gonzalez. Early Tuesday morning, the extension was confirmed.
The Patriots gave Gonzalez a four-year deal worth $33.75 million per year, which is the new highest mark for the position group. He also received $102 million in guarantees. While it's unlikely that Porter's upcoming extension looks exactly like that or ends up being better, there is now a clear blueprint for what he should fight for. WIN Sports Group now has more time to negotiate this deal as well.
What do you think about the Steelers finally offering Joey Porter Jr. a contract just days before the regular season? Do you think they'll get a deal done? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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