Suddenly, the Pittsburgh Steelers have an answer at cornerback. After general manager Omar Khan traded away Chase Claypool, the Steelers received what became the 32nd overall pick. That selection turned into Joey Porter Jr. Porter isn't just the son of a Steelers legend, he's also a local product out of Penn State. He has pushed past his early growing pains and become one of the best cornerbacks in the league in 2025. He could easily be the best corner in his division if not for Denzel Ward in Cleveland. Now Porter is due for an extension, and even though progress has been minimal, the Steelers would be wise to get this done soon.
Why the urgency? Porter and his agent are almost certainly watching the negotiations of his 2023 draft classmates. Christian Gonzalez and Devon Witherspoon are both expected to land massive extensions soon. Porter has been just as excellent as either of them and more durable. The Steelers could be in a race against the clock to get this deal done.
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Steelers Pressed for Time to Get Porter Deal Done
The top-paid cornerbacks in the NFL currently earn north of $30 million per year, and Porter would almost certainly be worth that range. But timing is everything in the NFL. He just watched Trent McDuffie land a $31 million-per-year deal. If Gonzalez or Witherspoon, or both, sign before Porter does, that number could push toward $35 million per year.
Porter would be worth the price tag, but the Steelers understandably want the most team-friendly terms they can get. Khan has done a good job locking up long-term deals throughout his career, so there's no reason this can't get done by the end of training camp. If negotiations do stretch into camp, though, that would be disappointing, because the Steelers have seen this film before.
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Steelers Have Already Faced This Dilemma
The Steelers played this same game with T.J. Watt and paid dearly for it. They could have signed him to an extension back in 2024. Traditionally, unless a player is a quarterback, the Steelers wait until the final year of his contract to negotiate a new deal. But Watt deserved one in the 2024 offseason, and by waiting, the Steelers likely ended up paying more than they should have. Watt could bounce back in a big way under a new defensive coordinator in 2026, but that's far from guaranteed.
What is guaranteed is that Watt's contract will eat up a massive chunk of the cap. He's a legend in Pittsburgh, but it was still a steep price to pay an edge defender heading into his 30s. If the Steelers learn anything from that experience, it should be to get the Porter deal done soon. Otherwise, if Gonzalez and Witherspoon cash in first, the price will only keep climbing.
