Steelers Now
One NFL insider reveals the Pittsburgh Steelers are not going to get cornerback Joey Porter Jr. for cheap.
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is do for a big-time contract extension as his rooke deal is set to expire at the end of the season. However, NFL insider Ian Rapoport revealed that he is not going to come cheap.
In fact, Rapoport foresees Porter becoming one of the top-paid players at his position.
“If he’s going to get paid, it’s gonna be top of the market,” Rapoport said on The Pat McAfee Show. “Now, how close to the top of the market is he gonna get? I don’t know, but sometimes these take a little time.”
Porter, 25, is certainly deserving after establishing himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the league during his three seasons in Pittsburgh, recording 165 tackles, one sack, 31 passes defensed and three interceptions.
He has also allowed just one touchdown pass in his NFL career, and that was in 2023 as a rookie.
The only question is if the Steelers are willing to give Porter the payday he is looking for. That is a timeline that Rapoport believes could come down to just days before the start of the season.
“The only thing that matters is, does he get one before the season or not,” Rapoport questioned. “Now, if he doesn’t have one before training camp and he shows up, then it’s like OK, the next target is in the two or three or four days before the season.”
Only time will tell if Porter will reset the cornerback market and if it will be the Steelers that make it happen, but either way, he looks to be on pace to earn somewhere in the $25 million to $30 million per year range.
Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie currently leads the league, earning $31 million per year on his four-year, $124 million contract.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Insider Reveals Price Point of Joey Porter Jr.’s Contract Extension
