The Steelers had a policy of not negotiating contracts during the season well before general manager Omar Khan took on his current role. Khan has continued that organizational practice while at the helm.
As a result, Pittsburgh has until Week 1 of the 2026 campaign to take care of several financial matters. That includes extensions for pending 2027 free agents such as cornerback Joey Porter Jr. To little surprise, Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show names Porter as the player likely to be Pittsburgh’s top priority with respect to extensions after the draft takes place.
As the 32nd pick in the 2023 draft – one in which the Dolphins’ were stripped of their Day 1 selection – Porter entered the league as a second-rounder. That means he is not subject to a fifth-year option decision like each of the players drafted ahead of him. Porter’s rookie deal will therefore expire after the 2026 campaign. Urgency on the part of Khan and the front office to work out an extension this summer will be something to watch for.
Porter handled a heavy workload during his rookie season and has been a full-time starter since then. The second-generation Steeler has been the subject of criticism based on the rate at which he is penalized, but he has been durable and productive so far in his career. Porter thrived in coverage during the 2025 campaign, allowing just five yards per target and a passer rating of 57.2 as the nearest defender. He also notched double-digit pass deflections for the second time, totaling a career-best 14 this past year.
Entering his age-26 season, Porter is a candidate for a major raise on his second NFL contract. Kaboly predicts a three-year extension allowing the Penn State product to collect $100MM in total – including the nearly $4MM he is owed for 2026 – could be in the range of what winds up being necessary for a deal to be struck. The CB market recently reached $31MM per season, and Porter figures to be among the early beneficiaries of its continued upward movement.
It’s pretty impressive how Porter has turned around his reputation after a tough start to his career-especially in the eyes of many fans. Good to see him earning an extension. The interesting thing here is Porter’s age. At 26, he’s still in his athletic prime, but he’s not as young as many expiring rookie contract players typically are. Three years sounds reasonable, but I would not be shocked at all to see a four or even possibly a five year with only three guaranteed.
What is the “tough start” you’re referencing? From watching him every game every week he’s been excellent.
Stats back up the eye test also, he’s only given up 1 TD on balls his way. 2 years of sub 50% completed passes on balls his way. His “worst” season was year 2 giving up 82 passer rating on balls his way but even then still overall great.
I could be missing something though, he isn’t as flashy as Ahmad Gardner, Stingley, or Surtain but he is definitely effective.
Might be interesting to see how things go.