The Pittsburgh Steelers face a stalemate as the star cornerback’s record-breaking salary demands and high trade price stall negotiations, leaving the injured defender’s future in the Steel City uncertain.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are between a Pastrami Sandwich and a Capicola at Primanti Bros. when it comes to cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who is seeking a contract extension before the start of the regular season amid a back injury that has him on the active/PUP list.
On Monday, Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said the team is at an impasse with the cornerback. There has been trade chatter surrounding Porter, but that option is basically impossible given the market demands at cornerback.
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network explained what that meant on Monday evening, suggesting Porter wants to be the highest-paid cornerback in the league, beating Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon's $33 million per year deal.
"When Joey Porter gets a new contract, he’s going to be the highest-paid corner in the NFL," Rapoport said. "The Steelers, if they aren’t willing to make him the highest-paid corner, probably haven’t offered for that reason. Which is why we're here... He’s a big name; there have been rumors.
"There has been, I would say, trade chatter around the NFL surrounding Joey Porter, teams wondering if he’s available... Look, he’s a great player; these kinds of players generally get traded for first-round picks or premium draft picks. If that is going to happen, that is what I would expect. At this point, it’s pretty up in the air where this heads.”
The problem is for the Steelers and the rest of the league is simple. Porter, who has been a key starter in Pittsburgh, is not considered around the league to be the same caliber of cornerback as Witherspoon, or Christian Gonzalez, who is yet to sign a new deal with the New England Patriots.
Because Porter is on the final year of his rookie contract, in order for the Steelers to make a trade, they'd need to find another NFL team that would be both willing to give up approximately a first-round pick for Porter and have a new deal in place for the cornerback.
Another NFL team wouldn't be willing to give up a first-round pick for a one-year rental. It's highly unlikely that any team in the league is ready to give up that draft capital with the intention of making Porter the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.
For that reason, it would make sense for Porter to save his body from injury during training camp, hoping to be as healthy as possible for the regular season when he needs to put up his best tape before free agency hits next March.
