Joey

Porter

Porter remained limited all week. He also lacks a lucrative contract extension. Hopefully, both issues are remedied before kickoff. The Steelers’ D/ST could have a fruitful outing against a Falcons offense run by backup QB Cooper Rush.

Porter is still on track to play in Week 1 against the Falcons. Whether his limitations are truly injury-related or contract-related is anyone’s guess. The team will tell us his status tomorrow.

Porter Jr. missed all of training camp with the back issue, though it’s widely believed that he was simply holding in while negotiating for a new contract. The team is likely working him up to full speed with today’s limited session. He should be good to go by Sunday for Pittsburgh’s date with the Falcons.

According to Garafolo, the Steelers made an offer to Porter but it is “not good enough” for a contract extension to be imminent. This seems to be the first offer Pittsburgh has made to the 26-year-old, so there are at least negotiations happening. With both Devon Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez getting top-of-market deals done, all eyes are on Porter as last among the big cornerback extensions to get done. Garafolo adds the Steelers will not negotiate into the season past Week 1, so both sides have a few days to get a deal done before talks are tabled until the end of the season.

Porter has been seeking a new contract from the Steelers all offseason, but all reports indicate the two sides are far apart on a deal. While Porter has been noncommittal about playing without a new contract, he was seen on the field during Monday’s practice and was activated from the PUP list last week. These encouraging signs, coupled with McCarthy’s confidence in him playing, are more than enough to suggest Porter will be on the field for the season opener on Sunday against the Falcons. Porter totaled 52 tackles, 14 pass breakups, and one interception last season while earning a PFF coverage grade of 74.1. Update: Steelers beat writer Nick Farbaugh later noted that McCarthy said the team will “see what happens” if Porter doesn’t play, while also adding that there are “definitely still business conversations” going on regarding an extension.

We haven’t had much in the way of contract beefs this offseason, but Porter Jr. seems ready to make up for lost time here. The Steelers CB spent most of training camp on the active/PUP list with a “back injury.” It seems like there’s at least a real chance he skips out on Week 1 to prove a point if he isn’t paid.

That could mean the team will have to hammer out a new deal with Joey Porter, Jr. before the season kicks off in less than two weeks. The Steelers recently activated Porter from the PUP list after he dealt with a supposed back injury in the offseason. Porter will most likely have to play out his rookie contract or hold out. He would be a big loss for the Pittsburgh defense.

Porter Jr. spent all of training camp on the PUP list with a back issue. He was also searching for a new contract without much luck, so it’s safe to assume the back and bank issues were related. Without much leverage in the situation, he is likely stuck playing out the 2026 season on his rookie deal.

Schefter notes that Porter remains on the physically unable to perform list with a back injury, yet adds that “backs are often confused with contract-itis.” He stopped short of saying that Porter is on the trade block, but reminded Pat McAfee Show viewers that the NFL’s cut-down deadline is this weekend, and that “a lot of trades” occur around this time of year. Stay tuned.

In an article published by ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, Pryor writes that a source familiar with the situation shared there “hasn’t been meaningful progress on extension talks.” The 26-year-old corner has spent all of training camp on the active/PUP list with a back injury, but we haven’t heard much about him since. Despite the current situation between Porter and the Steelers, the team said it has neither received nor made any trade calls regarding the star corner. Porter still needs to be activated off the PUP list in order to be ready for the start of the season.