Former Penn State Star Joey Porter Jr. Gets Important Contract Update

Former Penn State star Joey Porter Jr. finds himself in a very good position with the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

The son of an NFL legend should be paid soon after being selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. It remains uncertain just how much money he'll get, but reports now indicate that Porter is seeking to be paid like the top corners in the NFL, with an expected price tag of nearly $30 million per year.

It's always tough to get a feel for what teams are willing to pay guys, especially when they're close to resetting the market. 

Porter is an elite player by all means, but to say that he's someone who should reset the market might be a bit much. According to one ESPN insider, a lot of this will come down to what some of the other players in the 2023 draft class do. The Steelers could either pay the former Penn State star now to get ahead of the bunch or wait until some of these other deals get done.

"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," Bill Barnwell wrote.

"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. Gonzalez and Witherspoon are represented by the same agency, which complicates their negotiations and makes it easier to play the waiting game. They're also first-round picks, leaving them with fifth-year options in 2028.”

I always think it's better to pay players before others get contracts. Not that Porter is better than Christian Gonzalez of the New England Patriots, but if all these deals have an impact on the market, that's unfortunately something the Steelers will have to deal with.