Behind the Steel Curtain
The Pittsburgh Steelers have handed out $142 million in contract extension this week. Edge rusher Nick Herbig received a four-year, $100 million deal and tight end Darnell Washington earned a four-year, $42 million extension, which leaves two notable names from the Steelers’ 2023 draft class in need of extensions – defensive lineman Keeanu Benton and cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
It’s the latter name we’ll focus on today, as the Penn State product has become one of the game’s top players at his position, and he wants to be paid as such. What will the eventual contract look like? I try to narrow it down here.
Porter is coming off a career-best season. In 2025, he allowed a passer rating of just 61.5, per Next Gen Stats – nearly ten points better than Patrick Surtain (71.3). Additionally, his catch rate allowed over expected was -11 percent, which was better than Surtain, Trent McDuffie, Sauce Gardner, Derek Stingley, Jaycee Horn, and fellow Steeler Jalen Ramsey. And in terms of target EPA and catch rate allowed, Porter trailed only Stingley in that group in both categories. But what do those other six players have in common? They are the top six highest paid cornerbacks in the NFL in terms of annual average value.
Porter is performing on par, or in most cases, better than the highest-paid cornerbacks in the league. With that said, the Steelers are going to have to get close to that top cornerback number in order to get a deal done.
At the time of writing, Trent McDuffie is the highest paid cornerback in the NFL, averaging $31 million per year, which puts him just under $1 million ahead of Sauce Gardner, who sits at $30.1. Derek Stingley is in third at an even $30 million while Jaycee Horn is at $25 million.
Patrick Surtain was the first of that group to get a big extension, so he is down at $24 million, putting him sixth among cornerbacks, one spot behind Jalen Ramsey at $24.1 million.
Porter will certainly get more than Surtain and Ramsey, which will put him in the top five of annual average value for cornerbacks. I’d also bet he gets more than Horn, which puts him in the top four.
However, I don’t believe he gets to $30 million per year. The number will fall between $26-29 million per year. The Steelers typically like to do four-year extensions for younger players/players that still have a lot of football left. Herbig, Washington, Chris Boswell, DK Metcalf, Alex Highsmith, Pat Freiermuth, T.J. Watt’s first extension – all were four-year deals. I expect Porter to be in that same boat, getting an extension that makes him the fourth-highest-paid cornerback in the NFL on a per-year basis, but under $30 million per year.
Final projection: Four years, $110 million ($27.5 million per year).
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