Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is due for a big contract extension with his rookie deal set to expire at the end of the 2026 season, and he knows exactly the type of payday he’s looking for.
Porter recently revealed that he expects to be paid as one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks while holding in at minicamp.
“Definitely, I feel like I was an elite guy since I’ve been in this League, and I’m happy that I’m getting the respect that I feel like I’m owed,” Porter said.
Only time will tell if the Steelers are willing to make that belief a reality, but Porter certainly has a strong case.
Porter, 25, has quickly become one of the best cornerbacks in the league during his three seasons with the Steelers, recording 165 tackles, one sack, 31 passes defensed and three interceptions.
In fact, the biggest knock against Porter throughout the start of his NFL career has been his penalties. But he even cut those nearly in half in 2025, going from 17 in 2024 to just nine a season ago.
It’s unlikely that Porter has done enough to reset the cornerback market, but if he does ultimately become among the top earners at the position, that puts him on pace to receive a deal that pays him somewhere between $25 million and $30 million per year.
Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie currently leads the pack, earning $31 million per year on his four-year, $124 million contract.
6-foot-2, 193 Pounds, 25 Years Old, Fourth Season
Acquired: The Steelers drafted Porter with the 32nd overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Steelers received the pick from the Chicago Bears in exchange for Chase Claypool.
While pick No. 32 is usually the last pick of the first round, the Miami Dolphins forfeited their first-round pick due to tampering violations which made the first round only have 31 picks in 2023.
Last Year: Porter, 25, took his game to another level this season. In 14 games, the third-year cornerback recorded 52 tackles, his first career sack, one interception and a career-high 14 passes defended.
In addition, Porter has not allowed a touchdown on his last 1,467 regular season coverage snaps dating back to Week 8 of 2023, the longest streak of any cornerback in the Next Gen Stats era and more than twice the length of the next-longest active streak, according to Matt Williamson of Steelers.com.
Porter allowed a 53.0% completion percentage in coverage this season (10th-lowest) despite facing targets at an average depth of 9.8 air yards, the second-shallowest among cornerbacks who allowed a completion percentage below 60% on 50+ targets.
Career: Porter allowed just one touchdown pass in his NFL career, and that was in 2023 as a rookie.
JOEY PORTER JR. NFL CAREER STATS
JOEY PORTER JR. COLLEGE CAREER
After his senior season at North Allegheny High School, Porter decided to stay...
