Steelers’ Joey Porter Jr. won’t commit to playing vs. Bengals
· Yahoo Sports
Steelers star corner Joey Porter Jr. has yet to play this season in the midst of his back injury and an ongoing contract negotiation with the team. Porter spoke to the media on Thursday for the first time since the season kicked off about his status moving forward.
When asked about potentially playing this weekend as the Steelers face the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium, the corner didn’t offer much clarity.
Visit esporist.org for more information.
“I don’t know. We’ve still got two more days to practice,” Porter said. “I just know I did everything today, and it went smooth. So we’re gonna just keep working.”
Joey Porter Jr. speaks. pic.twitter.com/xre1ecQaDW
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) September 24, 2026
Still, when asked if he plans on playing “at some point,” Porter answered, “Yeah, definitely.”
Porter has not logged a full practice yet this season, and missed the entirety of training camp and preseason with his ongoing back injury. The young defensive back is seeking a long-term contract extension from the franchise. Porter reportedly turned down a deal worth upwards of $ 27 million per season because the sides couldn’t agree on guaranteed money.
When asked about the sides not being able to agree on a deal, Porter said he’s shifted his focus to getting healthy.
“It didn’t get done. It didn’t happen. That’s really just old news for me now. It’s mainly just focused on what I got ahead of me, and really just getting back to 100%.”
Porter denied a report that suggested he was seeking an opinion on his back injury; he said his back has moments where it flares up “here and there.” The corner said that he has not requested a trade.
The Steelers have a longstanding franchise rule that they do not negotiate contract extensions with players in season, meaning the chances of Porter getting an extension were all but out the window once the season began. Porter’s status will continue to be a huge talking point until he returns to the field. For now, we still have more questions than answers on the status of the Steelers’ top corner.
Let us know what you think in the comments. Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more!