The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting ready for their upcoming Week 1 match against the Atlanta Falcons. Luckily, these preparations include star cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who had missed the entire training camp and preseason while being placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, while also conducting a hold-in and trying to get a deal done. He has been practicing ever since the initial 53-man roster came out. While he and his agent keep working on a potential deal, he is working on making sure Drake London doesn't beat him on Sunday.
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Pittsburgh Steelers star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. stands on the field as he smiles while looking on at the team practicing during a 2025 training camp workout in Latrobe, PA.
Progress has finally been made on the contract front, as it was reported Tuesday night that the Steelers have made a contract offer to Porter. There is still a lot of work to get done, as they are not close to being on the same page with these numbers, but it's better than the severe lack of information coming out about this for months. Hopefully, a long-term deal will be agreed to by gameday.
Insider Gerry Dulac believes that will happen. During his weekly Q&A chat, he spoke about how Porter will eventually sign his deal based on how much power and leverage the Steelers have.
"I think it's going to end up with [Joey Porter Jr.] getting a contract," Dulac said. "He doesn't have any leverage in the matter and will only be hurting himself financially."
Dulac spent a lot of this chat talking about Porter's lack of accolades and interceptions, which would severely hurt him in these negotiations. Six cornerbacks have signed contracts worth at least $30 million per year, but he doesn't think the cornerback will sign for that much money. In this situation, Pittsburgh has total control according to Dulac, which means the star will eventually have to fold.
If he's right, Porter will have to significantly drop his asking price to stick around. Reports have claimed that the Steelers have no interest in dealing him, but an in-season hold-in could change everything. With how progress is being made, it doesn't seem like it will ever get to that point, but we can never say never. General Manager Omar Khan is doing everything he can to make sure this does not happen.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan picks up the phone and has a conversation in the team's war room during the 2023 NFL Draft.
Negotiations will likely go on until Saturday night, but an extension should get done before the season begins. It should be safe for fans to expect Porter to play in Week 1 of the 2026 season, even if it's at a significantly reduced rate due to all the leverage that Pittsburgh supposedly has. Even if he signs for $27 million per year, it's much better than the insulting $23.1 million that he would get if franchise tagged.
Steelers And Porter Could End Up With A Happy Compromise
One thing the Steelers have shown a willingness to do in the past under Khan is to do extensions worth less money overall, but with more guarantees. Granted, that usually isn't the case with blockbuster contracts like the one they may end up signing Porter to, but that could still work out in this scenario. This way, the star corner can still play happy to begin the upcoming season.
If they were to do something like this, it would be in the ballpark of $26-28 million per year, with about 2-2.5 years of the deal guaranteed. The Steelers are notoriously stubborn and withholding when it comes to guarantees, but it may be worth it to give some extras in that regard to bring back a player that has the ability to shut down a team's top receiver by himself.
What do you think about the Steelers having lots of leverage in negotiations? Will a deal get done before Week 1 against the Falcons? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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