Eyebrows were raised when it was learned on Sunday that the Pittsburgh Steelers had activated cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from the physically unable to perform list.
Porter spent the majority of August on that list due to an alleged back issue that presumably is related to the fact that he is in the final year of his existing contract. During a Monday appearance on Pittsburgh radio station 102.5 WDVE, Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette shared a big update regarding the Porter situation.
When could the Steelers get Joey Porter Jr. deal done?
“I still expect them to get a deal done before the end of next week,” Dulac said about the Steelers and Porter, per Josh Carney of Steelers Depot. “We’ll see. I think some of that’s gonna have to be some more realistic negotiating on maybe the other side. I don’t know the number, but obviously the fact that they’ve been nowhere near getting a deal done means that somebody probably wants way too much money. But I still believe, because they want to sign him, I still believe they’ll get a deal done because we see this happen many, many times.”
The Steelers traditionally pause contract talks with players once a regular season gets underway. Pittsburgh opens the campaign with a home game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 13, and Porter potentially could threaten to hold out if he doesn’t have a signed deal in hand.
A previous report claimed that Porter does not necessarily need to become the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL to sign an extension as soon as this week. Devon Witherspoon of the Seattle Seahawks set the market for players at the position this summer when he signed his four-year, $132M contract, but Christian Gonzalez of the New England Patriots could better that deal if he signs a four-year extension before Week 1.
It’s unclear how much lower Porter may be willing to go than Witherspoon and Gonzalez.
Will Joey Porter Jr. be slowed by a “back injury” for Week 1?
Meanwhile, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated is among those who have said that “the Steelers really have gone all-in on” trying to win the Super Bowl in quarterback Aaron Rodgers‘ expected final season as an active player. Pittsburgh is unquestionably better with Porter than without him, and it sounds like he will be in the Steelers’ lineup against the Falcons.
“I still think he doesn’t have many options, and the ones he does aren’t very good,” Dulac added about Porter. “If I were a betting man, he will be there against Atlanta one way or another. But I just believe they’ll get a deal done because I know they’d like to. But they’re not gonna break the bank just to get a deal done with Joey Porter.”
Questions about Porter’s Week 1 status may only grow louder if he doesn’t sign an extension before the Labor Day holiday weekend gets underway. For what it’s worth, history suggests this contract saga could last until the Friday before Pittsburgh’s regular-season opener.
