Steelers' Joey Porter Jr. Has Zero Authority Over His "Holdout" Prior To 2023 Training Camp

The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2023 second-round draft pick, Joey Porter Jr., has been exciting for Steelers' fans due to his family lineage within the organization. The selection was crucial for the Steelers as the cornerback position has been a weakness for the team in recent memory. Despite the excitement for Porter Jr., fans have begun to grow worrisome due to the fact that Porter Jr. has yet to sign his rookie contract, and there is some speculation that he can hold out going into 2023 training camp. Although there may be a near zero percent chance that he does hold out, fans will not feel relief until Porter Jr. and the Steelers agree to a rookie deal. 

Other Rookies In Similar Situation To Steelers' Porter Jr.

Some Steelers' fans might only be familiar with Porter Jr.'s hold out situation, however another second-round, highly touted rookie is also still going through contract negotiations. The Tennessee Titans' and second-round rookie quarterback, Will Levis have yet to agree on a contract. Porter Jr. and Levis have both had a similar experience since draft night. They were both expecting to go in the first round of the NFL draft, however Porter Jr. dropped to being the first pick in the second-round and Levis was selected right after him with the 33rd overall pick.  

Second rounders receive less than first rounders, as one would expect. First round picks have their contracts fully guaranteed, while second round picks usually only get three years of their contract fully guaranteed. Recently, second round selections have been pushing to also have a percentage of their fourth year salary guaranteed on their contract with some players finding success. 

Teams will limit the guaranteed money on a player's contract selected in the second-round so that it is easier for the organization to cut or release the player if they have not met or exceeded expectations in their first couple of seasons. Being a second-round pick means the player is more of a originally more of a question mark than individuals selected in the first round, so teams leave themselves a way to get rid of the player without taking too much of a hit financially. 

Porter Jr. and Levis Have No Say In Their Contract Negotiations

Hold outs are a sensitive topic for Steelers' fans, and understandably so after witnessing the Le'Veon Bell hold out fiasco in 2018. However, Porter Jr. and Levis are not at fault for not signing their rookie contract yet. Their agents are both still negotiating with their respective teams, and negotiations are assumed to be regarding how much money is guaranteed on the fourth year of their contracts. Levis recently opened up about his negotiations with the Titans on a recent episode of Barstool's The Mid Show. 

"I haven't signed yet. They're still finishing negotiations and all that. I'm out of it. Out of the conversation. Just tell me when the time to sign is. They're still working with my agent."

While Porter Jr. has not spoken publicly about how involved he is with the negotiations of his rookie contract, it can be safe to assume he is dealing with it in a similar way to Levis. They both are letting their agents do the work to try and get the most guaranteed money possible on the fourth year. Their agents are trying to set their clients up for a successful start to their career financially, while also working for themselves as agents do get a small percentage of the salary of the players they represent. 

Both of these player's agents are definitely keeping tabs on each other's negotiations. As they are both fighting for fourth-year guaranteed money, they could use one another's contracts as leverage since Porter Jr. and Levis were selected back-to-back in the second round. These "hold outs" likely won't go into training camp, as soon as one player signs the other will put pen to paper shortly afterwards. 

When do you think these contracts will be signed Steeler Nation? Let us know in the comments below!

#SteelerNation