Contract talks between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Joey Porter Jr. have heated up, or at least the public chatter surrounding them has. Behind the scenes, however, there still doesn’t appear to be much movement, which may not be a great sign for those hoping Porter inks a long-term extension to remain in Pittsburgh. Adam Schefter provided the latest on The Pat McAfee Show.

“Joey Porter Jr. also, they haven’t appeared to be close either to a deal,” Schefter said. “And they’ve never gotten close, and he’s still not practicing, and he’s on PUP with a back injury, and backs are often confused with contract-itis. They’re waiting on him, and he’s waiting on them, and that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.”

The deadline doesn’t come until the start of the regular season on Sept. 13, but this weekend is an interesting one around the league as teams cut their rosters down to 53 players. Aside from the trade deadline and the start of free agency, it’s the time on the calendar when the most trades or contract extensions get done.

Mike McCarthy took things public when he said negotiations are at an “impasse,” which kickstarted a firestorm of media headlines on the topic. Those moves are often part of negotiation tactics from both the team and the agent to apply public pressure, especially when talks otherwise stall.

According to P-G’s Gerry Dulac, the Steelers don’t view Porter as a top-five corner capable of resetting the market. But Porter views himself that way, and Ian Rapoport thinks he is expecting to top Devon Witherspoon’s recent deal.

Complicating matters is the fact that Christian Gonzalez is in the middle of negotiations, and Robert Kraft has already said they are prepared to give him a record deal for the position. Maybe a Gonzalez deal would spur action on the Porter front, but Schefter doesn’t think that’s imminent in New England.

“I don’t think that at any one point here that they’ve been close to a deal,” Schefter said.

The Patriots also don’t have a self-imposed deadline that prevents them from offering a new contract once the season begins. The Steelers do, and they’ve already said they are sticking to it.

The last piece of leverage in Porter’s pocket could perhaps be to publicly request a trade. The Steelers haven’t begun entertaining that possibility, but teams are definitely keeping tabs on the situation.

“Could the Steelers get an offer that would be enough that makes them think about dealing Joey? And who would that be?” Schefter said. “Who would be willing to give up what it takes to get the player and pay the player? Like there aren’t a lot of people that could do that this time of the year, I don’t think. But let’s see if anything comes out of the woodwork.”

If Porter is unwilling to budge on his desire to reset the cornerback market, the Steelers should entertain trade offers. If somebody makes them an offer they can’t refuse, the Steelers can use that draft capital to increase their odds of finding the future franchise quarterback next offseason. But Pittsburgh also has the franchise tag up its sleeve.

The chatter may be heating up, but with neither side appearing ready to budge, a resolution still feels a long way off.