Steelers' Porter Jr. Denies Record Contract Pursuit — SkimNews
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- Joey Porter Jr. is in a contract standoff with the Pittsburgh Steelers as he enters the final year of his rookie deal, originally signed as the No. 32 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
- Porter Jr. denied seeking a record-breaking deal as the NFL's highest-paid cornerback, telling ESPN, "I don't know where that came from. Whoever made that up, I really don't pay too much hype into it."
- Porter Jr. led the NFL in passer rating against as the primary defender in coverage last season (minimum 60 pass attempts) with a 49.1 rating — the only cornerback in the league to allow a sub-50 passer rating.
- Porter Jr. outperformed All-Pro and Pro Bowl cornerbacks who have already cashed in: Patrick Surtain II (four years, $96 million), Derek Stingley Jr. (three years, $90 million), and Christian Gonzalez (four years, $135 million).
- Porter Jr. framed the dispute as "business" and credited his father, former NFL player and coach Joey Porter, with preparing him for the negotiation despite it being his first contract fight.
- The Steelers host the Atlanta Falcons at 1 p.m. EST Sunday to open their season, and Porter Jr. said he's "just hoping" a deal gets done before kickoff.
Why it matters: Porter Jr.'s statistical case — best passer rating against in the league last season — gives him a clear argument that he's already outproducing three of the league's highest-paid corners, with Surtain, Stingley, and Gonzalez's deals setting the market range any new contract would need to match or beat. With Week 1 against Atlanta hours away, the Steelers risk opening the season without a cornerback who was statistically the best in coverage in 2025.
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