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Mike McCarthy wants the chance to work with Joey Porter Jr. When McCarthy gets that chance is anyone’s guess, the Pittsburgh Steelers coach included.
McCarthy said Monday that the club and the fourth-year cornerback are at an impasse as the two sides try to work out a new deal. The Steelers placed Porter on the physically unable to perform list when training camp opened with what the team described as a back issue that flared up during a mobility test.
It seems Porter’s back problems are just part of the reason he has yet to take the practice field with the season opener against Atlanta less than three weeks away.
“I learned this in my early years as a head coach, you have to separate the business from the football,” McCarthy said. “Sometimes it’s easier than others.”
Porter is in the final season of the four-year deal he signed after the Steelers selected him with the first pick of the second round in 2023. While Pittsburgh has locked up other members of that draft class — including outside linebacker Nick Herbig and tight end Darnell Washington — Porter’s status seems a little more uncertain.
The 26-year-old is coming off his best season as a pro, and he said during minicamp in June that he long felt he’s one of the top players at his position and that he believes he will be paid that way.
The top of the cornerback market has been particularly hot of late, with Seattle’s Devon Witherspoon agreeing to a massive new deal and New England’s Christian Gonzalez getting offered one in recent weeks.
Though Porter, who has three interceptions across three seasons, might not be in that neighborhood yet, he also might not be far off. Though he has deep ties to Pittsburgh — he grew up in the city while his father, Joey Porter Sr., played and then later coached for the Steelers — he didn’t rush to sign his rookie deal in 2023, waiting until the eve of training camp to do it.
Porter essentially “held in” during minicamp, participating in individual drills but staying out of full 11-on-11 work, a not uncommon tactic by players seeking new contracts.
McCarthy described the situation as a challenge, in part because the entirety of Pittsburgh’s defensive staff is in its first season.
“Every one of us has a contract,” McCarthy said. “The organization, they have beliefs and so forth. So that’s where we are.”
While Porter remains out, veteran defensive back Jalen Ramsey and rookie first-round offensive tackle Max Iheanachor returned to practice on Monday.
Ramsey has been on the PUP list since the start of camp because of a knee injury sustained during minicamp in June. The eight-time Pro Bowler said the defense is still getting up to speed and it’s important for the entire secondary to be available when the Falcons visit on Sept. 13.
“They need to pay Joey Porter,” Ramsey said.
Iheanachor, taken 21st overall in the draft, hadn’t practiced since hurting his upper body on Aug. 6. McCarthy didn’t rule out Iheanachor making an appearance when Pittsburgh wraps up the preseason on Thursday night in Buffalo.
“We got two padded practices (this week), so it’ll be a really good indication of how much he’ll be able to play personally,” McCarthy said. “We’ll see how it goes.”
Reporting by the Associated Press.
