The Pittsburgh Steelers have been busy handing out contract extensions this offseason. K Chris Boswell, EDGE Nick Herbig, and TE Darnell Washington have received them already. The Steelers likely aren’t done for the year, but who gets the next one, and when, is up for debate. On Thursday, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport provided the most recent update.
“That is essentially what I’ve heard,” Rapoport said on the Pat McAfee Show when asked if the team was “far” from a deal with CB Joey Porter Jr. “The Steelers have had a couple big contract extensions…I would expect maybe another one at some point, either this summer or before the season.”
Rapoport is referring to the PPG’s Gerry Dulac’s comments and reports, which suggest Porter and the Steelers aren’t nearing an extension and that an agreement isn’t a guarantee. Pittsburgh paid good money to Washington and especially Herbig. Clearly, GM Omar Khan wants to retain as much talent from the 2023 class as possible.
Porter’s deal could be more complicated. Not just in overall value, as his deal could exceed Herbig’s, but in structure. Porter could aim for guaranteed money beyond the first season, a door Pittsburgh has opened in recent years, but that will require negotiation.
“If he’s going to get paid, it’s gonna be top of the market,” Rapoport said. “How close to the top of the market is he gonna get? I don’t know.”
Porter’s floor could be $25 million per year, with his top-end value potentially threatening $30 million per season.
Recent reporting might raise alarm bells about whether Porter’s potential deal is viable. Rapoport sounded less fearful, even if both sides aren’t yet close.
“I try not to get all worried about the timing of it,” he said. “Because really the only thing that matters is, does he get one before the season or not? If he doesn’t have one before training camp, if he shows up, then it’s like, okay, the next target is in the two or three or four days before the season.”
Even with Omar Khan’s accelerated timelines, the Steelers have still gone down that last-minute road before. They’ve done so with EDGE T.J. Watt, TE Pat Freiermuth, and last season with DL Cam Heyward.
If not Porter, the Steelers could ink a deal with DL Keeanu Benton first, the team’s next pick after Porter. His deal will be smaller and likely won’t have any guaranteed money beyond the first year. But his worth is arguably a bigger question than Herbig’s, Washington’s, and Porter’s.
There’s still every reason to believe Porter and the Steelers will complete a deal, even if it takes a hold-in and late summer agreement for the two sides to come together. He has established himself as the team’s top corner, and Pittsburgh has no incentive to risk losing him to free agency next offseason.