Joey Porter Jr. is officially back on the practice field. Whether he’s on the game field for Week 1 is another story altogether.
Porter participated in Steelers practice Tuesday after being activated off the physically unable to perform list, returning from a back injury suffered earlier in training camp.
The fourth-year cornerback is in the middle of a contract battle with the Steelers, still not having an extension inked beyond his rookie NFL contract, which expires after this season.
According to multiple reports, Porter seemingly gave mixed signals when asked if he would play Week 1 on Sept. 13 against the Falcons.
“Yeah, for sure,” Porter said, per ESPN, when asked directly about his Week 1 status before adding, “maybe.”
Porter was also asked if he would play without a contract extension, and the 26-year-old remained noncommittal.
“I don’t know,” he said, according to The Athletic. “I’ve got to talk to the guys upstairs [in the front office] and my agents about that one.”
Porter, since entering the league as the No. 32 overall pick in 2023, has recorded 31 passes defended with three interceptions. His 11 pass breakups ranked seventh, and his 67.6 grade was 34th among 114 corners in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus.
The son of Steelers legend Joey Porter told reporters he’s been getting advice from his dad, and at the same time, is trying to just stay on the field so he can, at least at some point, get back to playing fully healthy.
“Really can’t speak too much about the future,” Porter said, per ESPN. “But today I was out there today running with the guys, still trying to get back fully, but we’re going to take it day by day for the most part.”
Porter would appear to be the next Steeler in line to get an extension after linebacker Nick Herbig (four years, $100 million) and defensive tackle Keeanu Benton (four years, $72 million) each got new deals this summer.
Steelers general manager Omar Kahn said Monday that the team would not negotiate a new contract in the middle of the season, meaning the two sides have a hard-and-fast Sept. 13 deadline.
“We won’t talk publicly about the negotiations per se, but Joey knows how we feel about him, and I still hope Joey finishes his career here,” Khan told reporters.
“Our policy is going to remain in place, but I’m not going to talk about negotiations.”
