The Pittsburgh Steelers head into Week 3 of the NFL season still without one of their best players on the field: starting cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Porter has missed both games while nursing a back injury, but it's also believed to be contract-related. He and the Steelers have been negotiating an extension for months, but can't agree on a figure.
Porter wants to be paid like other premier corners in the league, and Pittsburgh, up to this point, hasn't given him what he wants. But according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers have made him offers that would put him among the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL, even if he's not at the very top of the list. Dulac said Sunday on the 102.5 WDVE pregame show that the team offered him a deal "north of $27 million this year," but that Porter rejected it.
More news: Colts Drop Alec Pierce Injury Update After Being Carted Off in Chiefs Loss More news: Eagles Bring Back Super Bowl Hero After Dallas Goedert Injury An annual salary of that amount would make Porter one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the league, above other top corners like Jaycee Horn ($25 million annually) and Patrick Surtain II ($24 million), two former first-round picks who have already lived up to their billing with multiple Pro Bowls. Porter is widely viewed as one of the top young corners in football, but he apparently feels he belongs a tier above players like Horn and Surtain, let alone the position's top earners: Christian Gonzalez, Devon Witherspoon, Trent McDuffie, and Sauce Gardner. Last season with the Steelers, Porter posted 52 combined tackles, 14 pass breakups, one interception, and one sack across 14 games.
He earned PFWA All-Rookie honors in 2023, but has yet to make a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team. Horn, meanwhile, just made back-to-back Pro Bowls, and Surtain has made four straigh, along with first-team All-Pro honors twice and second-team All-Pro honors last season. Shutdown corners come at a premium, and Porter should push for as much as he can get.
But his leverage is dwindling by the day, and if the Steelers' defense can take care of business without him, they may feel more inclined to trade him and get something back in return. More news: Jonathon Brooks’ Injury Curse Strikes Again for Panthers
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