From Newsweek · Keagan Stiefel · · 1m 20s
Joey Porter Jr. is on the block in Pittsburgh
The Steelers are taking calls on their young cornerback while a contract standoff drags into the season.
In brief
The Steelers are taking calls on their young cornerback while a contract standoff drags into the season. Pittsburgh wants a premium pick for Porter and has no reason to rush, so this standoff may stretch well past Week 1. Originally reported by Newsweek.
Steelers are taking calls
Pittsburgh is listening to offers on cornerback Joey Porter Jr., per ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. An early-season trade is on the table.
A standoff since spring
Porter and the club have been stuck in a contract dispute since the early offseason. No deal came together before the opener against Atlanta.
He already asked out
Porter requested a trade earlier and is open to playing somewhere else. He also missed Week 1 with a back injury, which cuts into any showcase.
“I would have to talk to the guys upstairs and my agents about that one”
No deadline, no urgency
The sides remain far apart and the Steelers famously avoid negotiating in season. With no offer hitting their premium-pick asking price, waiting costs them little.
Desperation is the leverage
Corner-needy teams get thinner as injuries pile up. Pittsburgh can sit on Porter until someone is desperate enough to pay the price it wants.
The market set the number
Christian Gonzalez, Denzel Ward, Trent McDuffie and Devon Witherspoon all signed extensions above $30 million a year. Porter is the eligible name still waiting.
“At the end of the day, it's business, and I know what that is”
What it means
Pittsburgh wants a premium pick for Porter and has no reason to rush, so this standoff may stretch well past Week 1.
