Joey Porter Jr. Leaves Steelers Practice with Back Injury amid Contract Talks After Missing Week 1

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. left Thursday's practice with a back injury.

The fourth-year defender took part in some portion of the workout before walking off the field with a member of the team's training staff.

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A back injury sidelined Porter for Pittsburgh's 20-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1.

This is all coming against the backdrop of the 26-year-old trying to get a new deal. He's headed for free agency in 2027, and Spotrac values him at $23.4 million annually.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported in August that Porter was frustrated with the state of ongoing negotiations, especially since the Steelers locked down others from the 2023 draft class with long-term extensions.

Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter reported for ESPN on Sept. 13 that a breakthrough is unlikely based on the Steelers' organizational stance on ceasing any negotiations once the season starts.

Pittsburgh listed Porter on its Week 2 injury report but clarified it was down to conditioning and not injury-related. He was limited in Wednesday's practice.

Coach Mike McCarthy struck an optimistic tone Thursday about his level of participation later in the day:

Holdouts are almost prohibitively expensive during training camp by design, and the cost only goes up once the games kick off. Nursing an injury, however, can basically have the same effect without triggering any financial penalties.

It looked like Porter was on track to possibly suit up Sunday against the New England Patriots. Now, his status is harder to pin down.