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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t signed Joey Porter Jr. to a contract yet, but they’re trying to. The only problem – his price tag is about to skyrocket and he now knows that, which means he’s probably in no rush to sign with Pittsburgh at the current moment.
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The Steelers and Porter have been talking for months, trying to figure out a deal to keep the former second-round pick around for the next severl years. So far, things have been consistent but not a ton of progress has been made between the start of negotiations and where things are now.
For those who missed the news, the New England Patriots have offered Christian Gonzalez a record-setting contract, according to owner Robert Kraft. Gonzalez sits ahead of Porter Jr. on the list of top cornerbacks in the National Football League, but doesn’t sit ahead enough not to impact Porter’s contract.
Robert Kraft on Christian Gonzalez: Patriots love him, made him offer as highest-paid CB, richest contract in franchise history, and hope he is with us for a long time. pic.twitter.com/bxRsdDkHvQ
– Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) July 25, 2026
And he’s just the beginning.
Gonzalez won’t be the only top cornerback to sign a deal this offseason, as the Seattle Seahawks are working on a contract for Devon Witherspoon. Witherspoon will also sign a record-breaking deal, but it’s just a matter of whether or not it’s before or after Gonzalez.
Either way, the market is going to be reset not once, but twice this offseason.
From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: #Patriots standout CB Christian Gonzalez warrants a new deal, but his contract appears tied to the potential new deal for #Seahawks star Devon Witherspoon. pic.twitter.com/7nTEo26KUP
– Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 21, 2026
The Steelers Messed Up
Porter Jr. was likely looking at a contract between $25 and $30 million per season with anywhere from $40 million to $50 million guaranteed. Chances were, he wasn’t going to surpass Trent McDuffie as the highest-paid cornerback in football, but now that looks much different.
If Witherspoon and Gonzalez raise the ceiling anywhere close to $35 million per year and over $50 million guaranteed, Porter is worth much more than what he was a month ago.
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The Steelers would be looking at a contract around $30 million, but likely above it. His guaranteed would easily surpass $45 million and probably be closer to $50 million. And just like that, a deal that should’ve caused no issues now looks like a massive deal for the Steelers.
What they should have done it get this contract settled months ago. Nick Herbig and Darnell Washington’s price tags weren’t going up. The team wasn’t racing the clock with either of them. Porter, they were.
If this deal is done in June, the Steelers look like they got a steal for Porter Jr. Now, they’re going to hope he’s reasonable enough to keep his deal in the realm of reality for Pittsburgh. There’s a chance he doesn’t.
The “if” Porter signs just became a lot bigger. The pressure just grew dramatically. And the Steelers are now backed against the wall, in a bit of a panic situation with the one player they wanted to get a long-term deal done with more than any other.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/steelers/onsi as Steelers Messed Up With Joey Porter Jr. .
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