Jalen Ramsey Jaquan Brisker Joey Porter Jr.
Jalen Ramsey Jaquan Brisker Joey Porter Jr.
When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed S Jaquan Brisker this offseason, it wasn’t just a move to address the Steelers’ needs at safety. For Brisker, it was a reunion. Not only did Brisker return to Pittsburgh, his hometown. He also reunited with his Penn State teammate, CB Joey Porter Jr. When he joined the Steelers, Brisker said he and Porter were “what the city needs” because of their playmaking ability together.
Unfortunately for Brisker, he has yet to share even the training camp practice field with Porter. Porter went on the PUP list at the onset of camp, and he’s been there ever since. No doubt part of that is his desire to negotiate a new deal as he’s entering the final year of his rookie contract.
As the Steelers’ preseason draws to a close, the calls for the team to reach an agreement are reaching a fever pitch. You can add Brisker to the list of those calling for a deal now, too.
“The people say… they wanna see this again!” Brisker posted on his Instagram story on Thursday.
Brisker wasn’t the only one looking forward to a Penn State reunion in the secondary, either. According to Brisker, Joey Porter Jr. “was blowing up my agent” during the free agency process. So, the respect and admiration go both ways.
Now, will we see the Steelers and Porter hammer out a deal before Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons? The Steelers are notorious for not doing contract extensions once the regular season starts. Even if it pisses off Mike Florio over at Pro Football Talk. So the Steelers and Porter have a built-in deadline at this stage of negotiations.
The Steelers did clear up some cap space on Thursday by restructuring WR DK Metcalf’s deal. The move added nearly $18 million of cap space, which certainly could help the Steelers afford a Porter extension. However, it doesn’t automatically mean the two sides are on the verge of an agreement.
Just know that one of the newest Steelers, Jaquan Brisker, is pulling for his former and now current teammate, Joey Porter Jr., to get his new deal done. And to give the people what they want.