The market for elite NFL cornerbacks continues to escalate, and former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive backs James Harrison and Joe Haden are taking notice. Speaking on the “Deebo & Joe” podcast, Haden, a former Pro Bowl cornerback, expressed growing concern over the state of contract negotiations between the Steelers and star cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
With recent extensions across the league pushing market rates upward, Haden told Harrison that he believes Pittsburgh’s window to lock in a team-friendly extension is rapidly closing.
“It’s not looking good,” Haden said. “It gets to the point where, the Steelers, you wanna sign him earlier rather than later cause ain’t nothing gonna happen except the bag is gonna continue to go up. The salary cap’s gonna continue to go up.”
Deebo and Joe thinks Joey Porter Jr. is feeling a little undervalued as he still waits for an extension with the Steelers 😬 @jharrison9292 | @joehaden23 | #DeeboAndJoepic.twitter.com/ZyUVxIl7tz
— Deebo & Joe (@deeboandjoe) August 18, 2026Haden noted how skyrocketing market numbers alter player expectations during contract talks.
“When you have a corner like Joey Porter Jr. at the end of the day he signed for $9 million four years ago. He’s been playing way above that market,” Haden added. “Nothing’s going to happen but the contract’s going to go up. So you’re getting $33 million a year now. I just hope that we can get Joey Porter signed. When I was thinking $25 at first now I’m like, who knows what the number can be.”
Harrison, a former Steelers linebacker, who considers the younger Porter like a nephew agreed with Haden. He weighed in on the cap implications following recent extensions for core defensive players like Keeanu Benton, noting that Harrison himself believes Porter “can’t go for less than $28 million now.”
“I’m not gonna lie bro, this isn’t looking positive to me because we just signed Benton,” Harrison shared. “I don’t think we got nothing but maybe $4-5 million in the cap.”
Haden emphasized that watching draft classmates earn major paydays naturally impacts a player's mindset at the negotiating table.
“I’m feeling undervalued. I’m not feeling appreciated,” Haden explained. “Nick Herbig wasn’t starting and he’s making $25 million a year. You’re ballin’, you’ve been doing your part. These contracts he’s signing now aren’t for what you’re about to do, they’re for what you already did.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Joe Haden: Joey Porter Jr. extension situation ‘not looking good’
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