Joey Porter Jr. has put the Pittsburgh Steelers in the spot every front office dreads with a young cornerback – pay up now, or pay more later. He’s entering his 4th NFL season, and the final year on the four-year, $9.61M deal he signed in 2023. As he now waits for that elusive second contract, insiders are projecting numbers that show just how expensive Pittsburgh’s waiting game could get.

“I see Joey Porter Jr.’s new deal ending up being a 4-year, $112 million extension with $40ish million guaranteed,” wrote Steelers insider Mark Kaboly on X. “Total of 5 years, $116 million, IMO.”

That number sits well above Spotrac’s market estimate of a 3-year, $70.3M deal, and tells us exactly where the corner market is heading right now. Porter has made it clear that he’s looking for a top-of-the-market deal, and his numbers make his case hard to ignore.

Last season, being limited to just 14 games, Porter played 894 snaps, allowed a 56.2 passer rating, gave up 29 catches, and finished the season with one pick and 11 pass-breakups. Across three seasons in Pittsburgh, he has become the kind of outside corner the Steelers trust to live on an island and hold his own. In three seasons, Joey has recorded 165 tackles, three interceptions, and also received the Joe Greene Great Performance Award as the team’s top rookie. In the process, he also became only the third cornerback in franchise history to receive this honor.

But the standoff hasn’t made things any easier.

When the Steelers handed 4th-year linebacker Nick Herbig a 4-year, $100 million deal, Joey Porter Jr. stopped sounding like a player waiting for the team to catch up. Instead, he showed up at the minicamps and the OTAs but held out from practicing. When reporters at the mandatory minicamp asked him whether he feels like he should get a payday like one of the league’s elites, Porter dropped a line that turned a lot of heads.

“I feel like I’ve been an elite guy since I’ve been in this league,” Porter Jr. said. “And I’m happy that I’m getting the respect that I feel I’m owed.”

He also added that the reason he still showed up to the offseason training programs was that he wanted to “keep teaching these young guys and just to show my face.” He’s all in with the Steelers, and showing up like this has only made the case stronger for him. But will the Steelers really pay Joey the $28M yearly average that Mark Kaboly projects?

That’s exactly where things get a little tricky. Trent McDuffie of the Los Angeles Rams commands the ceiling as the highest-paid cornerback with his $31M/year average after he signed with the Rams this offseason. Since Porter wants to be at the top of the market, that’s the benchmark the Steelers would have to cross. But reports suggest that the Steelers are looking at a $20M/year average to lock him in.

NFL insider Ian Rapoport, appearing on the Pat McAfee Show, said that he’s heard the two sides are far apart on valuations, but he hasn’t ruled out an extension completely. What’s more, Rapoport believes the deal will reset the market just like Joey wants.

“That is essentially what I’ve heard,” Rapoport said. “The Steelers have had a couple big contract extensions… would expect maybe another one at some point, either this summer or before the season… If he’s going to get paid, it’s gonna be the top of the market. How close to the top of the market is he gonna get? I don’t know.”

New head coach Mike McCarthy needs all the veteran bodies in the building actively participating so his maiden voyage with the Steelers turns out successful. Despite that pressing urgency, McCarthy approves of the way JPJ has handled himself this offseason.

“There’s a personal side to this, and there’s a professional side to this,” McCarthy has said. “When you break down the professional aspects of being in the NFL as a coach or a player. We all have contracts. This is an important time in their lives. Their business decisions and business opportunities can change the course of their life and their family’s life. And I don’t take that for granted.”

Now, the Steelers are staring at a very simple choice. Pay Joey Porter Jr. before the number climbs out of their reach, or let a young corner force the market to decide for them. Either way, this standoff might still take a while to conclude.