After signing three key players to contract extensions already this offseason, the Pittsburfb Steelers’ focus turns to Joey Porter Jr. and Keeanu Benton. Each deserve an extension for their own reasons, but Porter’s figures to be very expensive. Potentially even the highest at his position.
“Between Porter, Christian Gonzalez of the Patriots, DJ Turner II of the Bengals and Devon Witherspoon of the Seahawks, there are four corners who could credibly command market-setting deals from the 2023 class alone,” analyst Bill Barnwell wrote in an ESPN article published Thursday. “As second-round picks, Porter and Turner are in the final years of their respective deals, which might make their situations more pressing.”
Porter doesn’t have that fifth-year option like Gonzalez or Witherspoon, so the Steelers need to act this offseason. But at the moment, it doesn’t seem as if the two sides are close. Which does make some sense as the Steelers were busy getting Nick Herbig and Darnell Washington’s new deals done. They’re also set to break for a month and a half before training camp.
When Porter gets his new deal, it’s going to be expensive. It seems like a forgone conclusion he’ll get at least $25 million per year. How much it rises after that is the real question. If Barnwell truly thinks Porter could reset the market, that would mean he’d have to beat Trent McDuffie, who tops the position at $31 million per year. A contract like that would also put him well over Jalen Ramsey, who makes $24.1 million per year.
When you have a talented young cornerback on your roster, you have to pay to keep him around. Especially when you’re not paying a franchise quarterback in the meantime, and the cap keeps rising ever year. But for Joey Porter there isn’t any reason to rush a new deal.
“They’re collectively playing a waiting game with one another here, given that the first player to sign might set the market for the others to top,” Barnwell wrote.
Even if Porter doesn’t set the market, it still helps to wait. One of the other players Barnwell mentions could set it on their own. If that happens, Porter can argue to be one of the highest-paid cornerbacks, and still make over $30 million per year. There’s no harm in waiting.
Especially since Porter holds a lot of leverage here. The Steelers aren’t paying a quarterback, which allows them to be flexible with the cap. And aside from Porter, there isn’t a standout young option at the position. The Steelers certainly have depth outside of him, but Porter is who ties this unit all together.
Some will point to his lack of takeaways and past penalty issues as reasons against Porter setting the market. And those would be valid points. But Barnwell isn’t ruling it out as a possibility.
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