Nick Herbig and Darnell Washington’s extensions came at a feverish pace during mandatory minicamp last week, but don’t expect that to be the case for one of the largest remaining deals on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ wish list. Talks apparently have barely begun with Joey Porter Jr. in what should be the biggest contract of the offseason in Pittsburgh.
“I think it’s gonna go at least to the beginning of training camp. I don’t think it’s gonna be as imminent as some of these others,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac said Monday via 102.5 WDVE’s Morning Show with Randy Baumann. “There’s five guys they wanted to sign. They signed three of them already, which is surprising in itself. They didn’t think they’d be able to do them all, and they’re getting close. The only other one [besides Porter] is Keeanu Benton. I think it’ll get done.
“I don’t think it’s a problem for them, but they really haven’t even started serious discussions with Joey yet like they did at least with the other guys.”
Serious discussions start happening when Pittsburgh offers a number that is at least in the ballpark of what Porter is seeking. In Nick Herbig and Darnell Washington’s case, things happened rather quickly once those serious discussions started.
Porter’s deal could come together just as quickly, but most veterans are away from the team starting now until training camp with mandatory minicamp now in the rearview.
The way Pittsburgh structures its deals, Porter’s cap hit likely won’t go up by much in Year 1, but there are still some likely moves on the Steelers’ end before a Porter extension comes is consummated. While the Steelers technically have cap space right now, they do not have enough of it for practice squad players and other unavoidable in-season costs.
Pittsburgh’s next contractual move may be restructuring another large contract or perhaps terminating a veteran contract to create space. Porter could be extended in the meantime, but it’s very possible they will create more room first.
The cornerback market has exploded in recent years, and Porter is way down the list of annual salaries compared to his peers. He’s only the fifth-highest paid corner on the Steelers’ roster despite being their clear No. 1 at this point. It wouldn’t surprise at all if Porter’s deal comes in well above the $20 million APY mark, which would make him one of the five highest-paid players on the team.
Unless Pittsburgh figures out a deal with Benton in the near future, expect a lull in the extension news until the start of training camp in late July.
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