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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cJoey Porter Jr. also, they haven\u2019t appeared to be close either to a deal,\u201d Schefter said<\/a>. \u201cAnd they\u2019ve never gotten close, and he\u2019s still not practicing, and he\u2019s on PUP with a back injury, and backs are often confused with contract-itis. They\u2019re waiting on him, and he\u2019s waiting on them, and that doesn\u2019t seem to be going anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n The deadline doesn\u2019t 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\u2019s the time on the calendar when the most trades or contract extensions get done.<\/p>\n Mike McCarthy took things public when he said negotiations are at an \u201cimpasse,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n According to P-G\u2019s Gerry Dulac, the Steelers don\u2019t view Porter as a top-five corner<\/a> capable of resetting the market. But Porter views himself that way, and Ian Rapoport thinks he is expecting to top Devon Witherspoon\u2019s recent deal.<\/p>\n 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\u2019t think that\u2019s imminent in New England.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think that at any one point here that they\u2019ve been close to a deal,\u201d Schefter said.<\/p>\n The Patriots also don\u2019t have a self-imposed deadline that prevents them from offering a new contract once the season begins. The Steelers do, and they\u2019ve already said they are sticking to it.<\/p>\n The last piece of leverage in Porter\u2019s pocket could perhaps be to publicly request a trade. The Steelers haven\u2019t begun entertaining that possibility, but teams are definitely keeping tabs on the situation.<\/p>\n \u201cCould the Steelers get an offer that would be enough that makes them think about dealing Joey? And who would that be?\u201d Schefter said. \u201cWho would be willing to give up what it takes to get the player and pay the player? Like there aren\u2019t a lot of people that could do that this time of the year, I don\u2019t think. But let\u2019s see if anything comes out of the woodwork.\u201d<\/p>\n If Porter is unwilling to budge on his desire to reset the cornerback market, the Steelers should entertain trade offers<\/a>. If somebody makes them an offer they can\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n The chatter may be heating up, but with neither side appearing ready to budge, a resolution still feels a long way off.<\/p>\n