Fowler: Structure Of Contract Is Absolutely The "Core Issue" For Steelers And Joey Porter Jr

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a very productive offseason in 2026. The roster is improved on paper, and the organization also took care of a lot of players that were eligible for contract extensions. Keeanu Benton, Nick Herbig, and Darnell Washington all got paid on new deals, but star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is still in the middle of a dispute with the franchise. The two sides did not reach a deal by the start of the regular season, which is typically the deadline for Pittsburgh in situations like these. Porter was inactive for Pittsburgh's Week 1 matchup, and he is in danger of missing his second consecutive game.

Porter did not take the field against the Atlanta Falcons, and it was deemed that this was because he was still working his way back from the back injury that kept him out of training camp practices. His status is up in the air for the game against the New England Patriots, but it doesn't look good. He exited practice on Thursday with another injury after going through some individual drills, and this has led many to question how the relationship looks between the player and the organization.

It has been reported that the offers to Porter have been borderline disrespectful, which follows along with the notion that the Steelers are a cheap organization. That is a belief a ton of fans have, and that is because of the way the franchise structures some contracts and how outdated the facility and procedures are. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Brooke Pryor collaborated on an article where the issues between the two sides were discussed.

"The two sides have been here because of a significant difference between the Steelers' view of Porter's value and how Porter values himself," Fowler wrote. "The core issue is the structure of the contract, sources told ESPN, and the Steelers' organizational precedent that doesn't fully guarantee a healthy portion of the contract was considered a sizable hurdle. Many of the Steelers' past deals for key players fully guarantee only the first year. That was the case for Porter's draft mates, Keeanu Benton, Darnell Washington and Nick Herbig, whose four-year extensions this summer guaranteed 2027 for injury only. Porter wants stronger guarantees, sources said."

The Steelers want to keep Porter around, but the franchise is not willing to offer more guaranteed money to the cornerback. That is the main disagreement between the two sides, and it has been a common theme with Pittsburgh during contract negotiations. It always comes down to the guarantees, which is a battle every organization deals with.

The extensions that were signed during the 2026 offseason largely include just the first year of the contract being guaranteed. That means the player doesn't really have a ton of security down the line, and when roster decisions are being made in the future those players would be easier for the organization to move on from. Porter wants more guarantees past the first year, and the Steelers have done that in the past in certain situations -- TJ Watt's most recent extension being one of them.

Steelers Seem To Be Done With Joey Porter Jr.

Porter's antics up to this point might mean the end of his time in Pittsburgh. Teams around the league are going to start to realize there are some holes in their defense, and they could call the Steelers to try and get a trade done. Many argue that Porter deserves to be paid, but this relationship might be strained too much at this point. The Steelers also don't do deals during the season, so the chance that a deal gets done between the two sides seems very small.

What do you think about this report from Fowler and Pryor? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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