While speaking with reporters on Monday, first-year Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy acknowledged that the team and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. are “at an impasse” regarding Porter’s status for summer practices.
Porter is in the final year of his contract, and he has been on the physically unable to perform list ever since he supposedly aggravated a back injury on the first day of training camp. While speaking with reporters after McCarthy made his comments, Steelers star defensive back Jalen Ramsey sent a direct message to his employer about Porter’s future.
Jalen Ramsey to Steelers: Pay Joey Porter Jr.
“They got to pay Joey Porter,” Ramsey said, per Chris Ward of Steelers Now. “…I’m overly in Joey’s corner. Joey needs to get compensated for being a valuable part of this secondary and a valuable part of this defense and team.”
Cornerback Devon Witherspoon received a record-setting four-year, $132M contract from the Seattle Seahawks. While it’s unknown exactly what Porter has been hoping to get from the Steelers ahead of the upcoming campaign, his deal could become even more expensive if Christian Gonzalez of the New England Patriots inks an extension as well.
Joey Porter Jr., Steelers don’t seem to be close to a deal
Per Joe Clark of Steelers Depot, NFL Network reporters Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport offered an update on the Porter situation during Monday’s edition of “The Insiders” program. Garafolo revealed that “there hasn’t been an offer from the Steelers” this summer, while Rapoport said it “doesn’t seem like” Pittsburgh is ready to match Porter’s asking price.
“It’s pretty clear when Joey Porter gets a new contract, he’s going to be the highest-paid corner in the NFL,” Rapoport added. “The Steelers, if they aren’t willing to make him the highest-paid corner, probably haven’t offered for that reason. …He’s a big name. There have been rumors. There has been, I would say, trade chatter in the NFL surrounding Joey Porter, teams wondering if he’s available. He’s a great player. These kinds of players generally get traded for first-round picks or premium draft picks. If that is going to happen, that is what I would expect. At this point, it’s pretty up in the air where this ends.”
On Monday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN shared that “a source told ESPN that there hasn’t been meaningful progress on extension talks” and that “the Steelers also haven’t made or received any trade calls on Porter.” That said, it sounds like there is at least a chance that the Steelers could decide to trade Porter rather than make a significant financial commitment to the cornerback.
