Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. on the sideline during a game against the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 12, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is due for a big contract extension with his rookie deal set to expire at the end of the 2026 season, and he knows exactly the type of payday he’s looking for.
Porter recently revealed that he expects to be paid as one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks while holding in at minicamp.
“Definitely, I feel like I was an elite guy since I’ve been in this League, and I’m happy that I’m getting the respect that I feel like I’m owed,” Porter said.
Only time will tell if the Steelers are willing to make that belief a reality, but Porter certainly has a strong case.
Porter, 25, has quickly become one of the best cornerbacks in the league during his three seasons with the Steelers, recording 165 tackles, one sack, 31 passes defensed and three interceptions.
In fact, the biggest knock against Porter throughout the start of his NFL career has been his penalties. But he even cut those nearly in half in 2025, going from 17 in 2024 to just nine a season ago.
It’s unlikely that Porter has done enough to reset the cornerback market, but if he does ultimately become among the top earners at the position, that puts him on pace to receive a deal that pays him somewhere between $25 million and $30 million per year.
Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie currently leads the pack, earning $31 million per year on his four-year, $124 million contract.
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in a game against the New York Jets on Sept. 8, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Acquired: The Steelers drafted Porter with the 32nd overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Steelers received the pick from the Chicago Bears in exchange for Chase Claypool.
While pick No. 32 is usually the last pick of the first round, the Miami Dolphins forfeited their first-round pick due to tampering violations which made the first round only have 31 picks in 2023.
Last Year: Porter, 25, took his game to another level this season. In 14 games, the third-year cornerback recorded 52 tackles, his first career sack, one interception and a career-high 14 passes defended.
In addition, Porter has not allowed a touchdown on his last 1,467 regular season coverage snaps dating back to Week 8 of 2023, the longest streak of any cornerback in the Next Gen Stats era and more than twice the length of the next-longest active streak, according to Matt Williamson of Steelers.com.
Porter allowed a 53.0% completion percentage in coverage this season (10th-lowest) despite facing targets at an average depth of 9.8 air yards, the second-shallowest among cornerbacks who allowed a completion percentage below 60% on 50+ targets.
Career: Porter allowed just one touchdown pass in his NFL career, and that was in 2023 as a rookie.
JOEY PORTER JR. NFL CAREER STATS
YearTeamGPTacklesTFLSackINTTDFFRecoveryPD2023PIT1743101000102024PIT167020100072025PIT145201100014
JOEY PORTER JR. COLLEGE CAREER
After his senior season at North Allegheny High School, Porter decided to stay close to home and committed to Penn State University. As a true freshman in 2019, Porter appeared in just four games which allowed him to keep his redshirt. In those four contests, Porter made three tackles and defended one pass.
Porter started eight games in 2020 as he racked up 33 tackles and four passes defended. Porter tallied a season-high six tackles in a game against Rutgers in 2020. Following the season, Porter was named third-team All-Big Ten by the media and honorable mention All-Big Ten by the league’s coaches.
In 2021, Porter made 13 starts at cornerback for the Nittany Lions and had the best overall season of his collegiate career. He logged 51 total tackles, five passes defended, one forced fumble, and his first collegiate interception. His first interception came in a game against Indiana during the 2021 season. After the season, Porter earned third-team All-Big Ten honors by the league’s coaches and honorable mention All-Big Ten by the media.
As a redshirt senior in 2022, Porter started 10 games at cornerback for Penn State. In his 10 starts, he logged 27 tackles, 11 pass breakups, and a fumble recovery. He finished third in the Big Ten and 32nd nationally with his 11 pass breakups. Following the season, Porter was named second-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten. Additionally, Porter won the team’s Most Valuable Defensive Player.
In total at Penn State, Porter appeared in 35 contests and recorded 31 of those matchups. He tallied 114 tackles, one interception, 21 passes defended, and one forced fumble. Additionally, Porter set the Penn State record and tied the Big Ten record for most passes broken up in a single game with six against Purdue.
JOEY PORTER JR. COLLEGE STATS
YearCollegeGPTacklesTFLSackINTTDFFRecoveryPD2019Penn State4300000012020Penn State83321100042021Penn State135100001042022Penn State102700000111
JOEY PORTER JR. PRE-DRAFT TESTING
Porter scored a 9.71 Relative Athletic Score out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 65 out of 2222 CB from 1987 to 2023.
SALARY CAP AND CONTRACT
Porter is currently playing on the final year of his four-year, $9.61 million rookie contract with the Steelers. He is making a base salary in the final year and carrying a cap hit of $4.92 million, with negotiations currently ongoing for a massive potential long-term contract extension.
ODDS AND ENDS
Joey Porter Jr. majored in Rehabilitation and Human Services at Penn State. He chose this field of study to help children with special needs, a decision heavily inspired by his older sister Jasmine, who has autism.
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Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
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