Clock Is Ticking For Steelers As Joey Porter Jr One Of Final 4 Rookies Unsigned

We are nearly to the start of training camp and the Pittsburgh Steelers still have not signed Joey Porter Jr. to a contract. Porter is the son of former Steelers legend Joey Porter Sr., who has worked in Pittsburgh as both a linebacker and a coach. 

The younger Porter is in a very unusual situation. The Steelers selected him with their first second-round pick (#32 overall) in the 2023 NFL Draft. That pick was obtained when General Manager, Omar Khan worked one of his famous Jedi mind tricks on the Chicago Bears and received the pick for wide receiver, Chase Claypool. 

Claypool started strong for the Steelers as a rookie with 62 receptions, 873 yards receiving and nine touchdowns though the air. Afterwards, he slowly regressed each of his seasons in Pittsburgh. After playing eight games with the Steelers in 2022, he was traded and, unfortunately for him, did not perform much better in the windy city catching only 14 passes for 140 yards and no touchdowns. He was injured during the first week of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and the Bears have announced that he is being placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. 

While the fans in Chicago might not be too happy about the Claypool trade, the faithful in Pittsburgh have been reveling in it. It essentially gave the Steelers two first round picks. Their first first-round pick was at spot 14 and was used on University of Georgia offensive lineman, Broderick Jones. Many felt that Porter should have been a true first-rounder and many who believed that the Steelers would take him at their original spot of 17.

That made it feel like it was meant to be when Porter was still available at 32. The Steelers could not possibly pass him up. But now, the complexities of where Porter fell in the draft are creating apparent delays in getting his contract signed. Does he get treated like a first-rounder or a second-rounder?

Steelers And Joey Porter Jr. Still Hammering Out Details On His Rookie Contract

The Steelers have signed all of their other draft picks and everyone is wondering if Porter's signing will happen before the start of training camp. It seems likely that Porter and his agent are pushing for him to be considered, paid and contracted like a first-round pick (aside from the fifth-year option). Normally, 32 would be in the first round, but the Miami Dolphins were forced to forfeit their first-round selection as the result of a violation of the league's anti-tampering policy. 

This forfeiture moved all the draft picks up one spot and technically made Porter the first pick of the second round. The major difference between the first and second-round rookie contracts is that first-round picks have the aforementioned fifth-year option automatically built into their contract. As a second-round pick, he will not have that benefit. 

The 33rd pick of the draft was Tennessee Titans, quarterback Will Levis. He just signed his contract and now it feels like Porter has to put pen to paper soon. This makes Porter one of only four players who have not signed that were selected in the first two rounds.

Porter is now one of the only first or second-round picks left without a contract. It seems likely that he and the Steelers will get this worked out before the start of camp. While there has been some sensationalized talk of Porter "holding out" at the start of camp if he doesn't have a contract, that doesn't seem realistic. 

What do you think of the Porter contract situation? Are you surprised it hasn't been signed yet? Do you think it will get done before camp? How do you think he should be contracted - as a first or second-round pick? What do you think the hold-up is? Click to comment below! 

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