Photo: steelers.com
The price of doing business at cornerback just went up again.
While the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to work through a potential contract extension with Joey Porter Jr., another member of the 2023 NFL Draft class has reset the market.
The Seattle Seahawks agreed to a four-year, $132 million extension with cornerback Devon Witherspoon over the weekend, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal includes more than $101 million guaranteed and carries an average annual value of $33 million, making Witherspoon the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history.
That does not necessarily mean Porter should receive $33 million per season from Pittsburgh. However, it does mean the Steelers’ negotiations with their top cornerback probably aren’t getting any easier.
Witherspoon entered the league in the same draft as Porter, although their circumstances were significantly different. Seattle selected Witherspoon fifth overall in 2023. Pittsburgh selected Porter with the first pick of the second round, No. 32 overall.
Witherspoon has since earned three Pro Bowl selections in three seasons and helped Seattle win Super Bowl LX. His new contract reflects a résumé that Porter has not matched from an individual accolades standpoint.
Still, these contracts do not exist in a vacuum.
The cornerback market had already climbed past $30 million annually before Seattle handed Witherspoon a deal worth $33 million per season. Every new agreement involving one of the NFL’s top corners provides another comparison for Porter’s representatives to use at the negotiating table.
That’s where waiting can become costly for Pittsburgh. Porter does not need to have Witherspoon’s resume to benefit from his contract. The Seahawks establishing a new ceiling at the position gives every cornerback negotiating beneath it a larger number to work from.
The Steelers have spent much of the offseason locking up members of their 2023 draft class. Nick Herbig and Darnell Washington received extensions, while defensive tackle Keeanu Benton recently agreed to a four-year, $72 million deal.
Some believe the Benton deal was reactionary to being unable to come to terms with Porter, who remains the most prominent member of that group without a new contract. Porter also figures to be a major piece of defensive coordinator Patrick Graham‘s plans as Pittsburgh moves forward with a revamped defense, making his long-term status even more important.
That situation was already drawing attention before training camp opened. In late July that Pittsburgh had completed several other deals while an extension for Porter remained unresolved. General manager Omar Khan acknowledged at the beginning of training camp that the Steelers were interested in keeping Porter, although he gave no indication that an agreement was close.
“There’s interest,” Khan said when asked about potentially extending Porter and other players on the roster. “You’d like to keep them all.”
Weeks later, Porter remains without a new deal, and unlike Witherspoon, Pittsburgh didn’t have the luxury of a fifth-year option. Witherspoon was a first-round pick, allowing Seattle to exercise his option for the 2027 season before eventually extending him. Porter was a second-round selection and is entering the final year of his rookie contract.
If Pittsburgh wants to prevent Porter from reaching free agency next offseason, the clock is ticking considerably faster, should they stick to their old customs of only negotiating contracts during the offseason.
Porter has yet to practice during training camp after being placed on the physically unable to perform list with a back issue. Sources state Porter aggravated his back during a morning mobility workout and conditioning test.
That provides a legitimate injury explanation for his absence and makes it important not to characterize the PUP designation itself as a contract maneuver. Still, the timing has naturally created some speculation.
Porter is entering the final year of his rookie contract while negotiating what could become one of the largest deals on Pittsburgh’s roster. Had he been healthy throughout camp without an extension, the possibility of a “hold-in” could have become a storyline.
A hold-in allows a player to report to the team while limiting or avoiding practice participation as contract negotiations continue. There has been no indication from Porter or the Steelers that his back injury is related to his contract negotiations.
However, his time on PUP has effectively prevented the contract situation from becoming a daily practice-field issue. Porter is in camp, he isn’t holding out, and the Steelers don’t have to answer questions about whether their starting cornerback will participate while the two sides remain without an agreement.
The biggest issue for Pittsburgh may simply be the passage of time.
Contract negotiations with Porter were already a topic before training camp, and the Steelers have continued signing other players while his deal remains unfinished. Meanwhile, the market continues to move.
Witherspoon’s $33 million annual salary doesn’t automatically add several million dollars to Porter’s asking price, but his extension changes the scale used to measure every other cornerback contract.
If Porter’s representatives previously viewed their client as deserving a deal somewhere below the very top of the market, that top has now moved considerably higher. A contract averaging $27 million or $28 million per season looks different when the league’s highest-paid corner is earning $33 million rather than something closer to $30 million.
And Witherspoon may not be the last young cornerback to cash in: New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who shares an agent with Witherspoon, is also eligible for a major extension.
Another significant contract could provide yet another data point for Porter and his representatives. Something both sides were likely counting on, with the Steelers hoping to strike first with a lower deal while Porter’s agent was holding out for the market to reset.
Pittsburgh has traditionally preferred to complete contract extensions before the regular season begins, leaving the Steelers several weeks to find common ground with Porter: and there should be incentive on both sides.
Porter can secure the first significant payday of his NFL career rather than assuming the risk that comes with playing out the final season of his rookie contract. His current back injury, even if relatively minor, is another reminder of how quickly circumstances can change for any player.
The Steelers, meanwhile, have an opportunity to lock up a young starting cornerback before he reaches the open market. The question is whether the two sides can agree on the price.
Witherspoon’s contract shouldn’t be viewed as an exact blueprint for Porter. Their accomplishments aren’t identical, and Seattle’s cornerback had considerably more leverage after making three consecutive Pro Bowls.
However, his extension reinforces one important point for Pittsburgh: the cost of keeping a good young cornerback isn’t going down.
The Steelers have already secured Herbig, Washington and Benton from their 2023 draft class. Porter is the biggest piece still missing. Every time another cornerback gets paid, finishing that deal becomes a little more complicated.
