Steelers Can't Offer Joey Porter Jr Contract Extension He'd Sign

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said the team is at an impasse with Joey Porter Jr. this summer as the cornerback stays on the active/physically unable to perform list with an aggravated back injury.

Porter wanted a contract extension during OTAs this spring. The Steelers gave several players contract extensions this offseason, including defensive end Nick Herbig.

Time is running out for the Steelers to agree to a new deal with Porter before the regular season starts, a historical deadline for a Pittsburgh organization that does not like to sign new deals during the season.

There doesn't appear to be any hope that an agreement will be reached with Porter before the season. Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Porter is looking to become the highest-paid cornerback in the league, weeks after the Seattle Seahawks gave Devon Witherspoon a four-year deal worth $132 million.

“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 New England Patriots have yet to agree to a new deal with cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Gonzalez is expected to make a little more on his new contract than the Seahawks gave Witherspoon at $33 million per year. 

Witherspoon and Gonzalez are two of the top 10 cornerbacks in the league. While Porter is a good cornerback in his own right, he is not better than Witherspoon or Gonzalez, and there is no way Pittsburgh plans to pay him more than those two players.

The Steelers could decide to keep Porter for the season, as the cornerback will be motivated to put up good tape before free agency. Or they could trade him, getting a first-round pick in return instead of waiting for a compensatory pick in a later round.

But the Steelers can't make Porter the highest-paid cornerback in the league.