The Pittsburgh Steelers are listening to offers on cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Porter, who has been embroiled in a contract dispute with the club since the early days of the offseason, was unable to come to an agreement with the club prior to Sunday's season-opening matchup with the Atlanta Falcons -- which he will not suit up for due to a back injury. Porter is said to be is open to playing elsewhere after previously requesting a trade from the Steelers, and an early-season trade is possible, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
The Steelers don't seem to be operating under any sort of internal deadline, though the sides remain far apart on a deal and the organization notoriously prefers not to negotiate during the regular season. If the fourth-year cornerback isn't going to play because of the back injury, it could push things back further than either side hopes. Pittsburgh has yet to have someone reach its asking price of a premium pick, per the report, which means it might behoove the club to wait until teams thin at the position become slightly more desperate.
The New England Patriots' Christian Gonzalez, Cleveland Browns' Denzel Ward, Los Angeles Rams' Trent McDuffie, and Seattle Seahawks' Devon Witherspoon all received big-money extensions this offseason that will pay them more than $30 million per season, which clearly has played a role in the standoff. If the one notable name who is eligible for an extension doesn't get it, that must breed some level of resentment, no? I would have to talk to the guys upstairs and my agents about that one," Porter said when asked about being available for Week 1.
Porter's focus seems to be on getting healthy and doing enough to find himself in a position to get paid. "I mean, at the end of the day, it's business, and I know what that is and I got my head straight to understand that," Porter said. It's safe to say that the entire situation comes with more questions than answers, but that could change quickly depending on what the next few weeks look like for both the player and the team.
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