Joey Porter Jr. Addresses Steelers Contract Talks on Video Amid NFL Trade Rumors, 'It's Been Tough'

Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. says he feels he has coaches and players on his side amid ongoing contract negotiations with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"It's been tough, I'm not gonna lie," Porter said Tuesday (h/t ESPN's Brooke Pryor). "It's my first go around this, but it's been also great because I have all my guys with me, all the coaches and players really on my side that understand everything about the business side of things."

The Steelers earlier this week activated Porter from the PUP list, on which he has been with a back injury since July amid his bid for an extension of his rookie contract.

Steelers coach Mike McCarthy said Porter would "definitely" practice Tuesday, per The Athletic's Mike DeFabo .

Porter said Tuesday his back issues were the "whole reason" he had not been participating in practice, per Tim Benz of the Tribune-Review.

He said he "can't speak much to the future" when asked if he would be healthy in time for Week 1, per Steelers Now's Alan Saunders .

McCarthy said last week the Steelers were at an "impasse" in negotiations with Porter, who plays a position for which the top of the market was recently been recently reset by the $33 million in average annual salary the Seattle Seahawks are paying Devon Witherspoon.

Porter is currently set to play next season under a $4.9 million cap hit in the final year of his rookie deal.

The Steelers typically do not negotiate contracts during the season. General manager Omar Khan confirmed Monday that practice would remain true with Porter.

"Joey knows how we feel about him, and I still hope Joey finishes his career here," Khan said Monday.

Porter did not give a definitive answer Tuesday if he would still play in 2026 should he and the Steelers not finalize a new deal by the Week 1 deadline.

"I don't know. I have to talk to the guys upstairs, my agents, about that one," Porter said when asked if he would play Week 1, per Pryor.

When asked at a different point if he would play if healthy, per DeFabo, Porter said, "Yeah, for sure. Maybe."

The Steelers have less than two weeks before opening the regular season with a Sunday, Sept. 13 home game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Not working out a new contract by that date risks the possibility Porter could launch a holdout that would leave the Steelers to start the season without one of their most effective pass defenders.