Bold Analysis Predicts Steelers' Joey Porter Jr Will Reset The Cornerback Market Surpassing $31 Million

The Pittsburgh Steelers have taken care of a lot of contractual business so far during the 2026 offseason. The organization had a decent free agency period, while also extending Cam Heyward, Chris Boswell, Nick Herbig, and Darnell Washington. Aaron Rodgers has re-signed as well on a one-year deal. All of these things being taken care of means there isn't much drama surrounding the Steelers as the team finishes the offseason program and prepares for training camp, but there are still some extensions that fans would like to see get done before the team reports to Latrobe.

The most pressing thing that the franchise needs to take care of is an extension for cornerback Joey Porter Jr. He has gotten better and better throughout his three-year career, and he has proven that he is one of the better defensive backs in the NFL. He should command a lot of money even though he has not been named an All-Pro or voted to the Pro Bowl quite yet. It is obvious he is on that level, he just has not received the recognition at this point in his career.

Bill Barnwell of ESPN recently wrote an article discussing which player is at the top of the market for each position group, and which player is going to reset that market. At cornerback, it is Trent McDuffie of the Los Angeles Rams as he earns an average of $31 million per season. The analyst predicts that Porter will be the one to eclipse that number and reset the market, which might be a bit shocking to some fans.

"Between Porter, Christian Gonzalez of the Patriots, DJ Turner II of the Bengals and Devon Witherspoon of the Seahawks, there are four corners who could credibly command market-setting deals from the 2023 class alone," Barnwell wrote. "As second-round picks, Porter and Turner are in the final years of their respective deals, which might make their situations more pressing. The Bengals aren't exactly known for being prompt with negotiations, and after Pittsburgh signed linebacker Nick Herbig and tight end Darnell Washington to extensions in recent weeks, Porter and defensive tackle Keeanu Benton should be next up for the Steelers."

Barnwell believes that any of these four players could command deals that would reset the market at cornerback, which would mean surpassing the value of McDuffie's four-year, $124 million deal that included $50 million guaranteed for an average annual value of $31 million.

Everything is going to come down to timing when it comes to these deals for the cornerbacks from the 2023 draft class. Both Christian Gonzalez and Devon Witherspoon are the most decorated players at the position from the class, and they each have an extra year on their rookie deals as they were first-round picks. They are also both represented by the same agency. Both of those factors might make it easier to wait things out.

DJ Turner plays for the Cincinnati Bengals, and that franchise is not known for giving out huge money. This makes it logical to assume that Porter might be the first cornerback out of the bunch to sign, and he could eclipse that $31 million per year number. He would likely be surpassed by Gonzalez or Witherspoon right after.

Steelers Should Know Joey Porter Jr.'s Real Value

Porter would be well-deserving of becoming the highest-paid cornerback in the league. He doesn't get the recognition he deserves because he doesn't have a ton of ball production, but a lot of that has to do with the fact that opposing quarterbacks will not throw his way. He hasn't allowed a touchdown since Week 8 of his rookie season back in 2023, and there is no denying that he is one of the best lockdown cornerbacks in the NFL.

What do you think about Porter potentially becoming the league's highest-paid cornerback? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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