Drew Allar has officially signed his rookie contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, a move that surprised no one. The third-round quarterback was always going to get his deal done before training camp. Rookies report, contracts get handled, and everybody moves on. But the Allar signing highlights something far more concerning for the Steelers and their fans: Joey Porter Jr. remains unsigned, and the two sides appear no closer to a long-term extension than they were weeks ago.

If you told a Steelers fan that Allar would ink his rookie deal before Porter landed an extension just days before training camp, they probably would have looked at you like you had three heads. And yet here we are, the day before camp, and it’s crickets between Porter and the Pittsburgh front office.

The silence is telling

The truth is, the Allar signing only amplifies how unusual the Porter situation has become. Rookies and quarterbacks historically take longer to finalize contract details. The fact that Pittsburgh wrapped up a rookie quarterback’s deal before locking down a household name at cornerback tells me these two sides probably aren’t close. Something is still off between Porter and the Steelers.

We’ve known that for some time. Pittsburgh has already extended Nick Herbig, Darnell Washington, and Chris Boswell. They’ve reportedly been seen negotiating with the agent of Keeanu Benton more frequently than they have with Porter’s camp. The pattern is clear: the Steelers have been willing to get business done with other key players while the Porter talks remain stalled.

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Every day changes the math

So the immediate question becomes whether the regular-season deadline will force action. Historically, that deadline has been the week before the regular season in Pittsburgh, and it has spurred movement on extensions that stalled through the summer. Maybe that’s the catalyst here.

But here’s my main issue with waiting: every day that goes by without a deal is a day Porter’s camp views his price tag going up. That’s how the leverage works. The longer Pittsburgh waits, the more ammunition Porter’s representation has to push for a higher number. Whether it’s a holdout threat, a franchise tag conversation down the road, or simply the market for top-tier cornerbacks continuing to rise, time is not on the Steelers’ side.

What to watch during training camp

I believe the Steelers want to get a deal done with Porter. The question is whether they’re willing to meet his price. Pittsburgh has a long history of grinding through these negotiations, and the front office has never been one to overpay simply because the calendar says so. But Porter is a different caliber of player, and the Steelers know what they have in him.

The bottom line is that the Drew Allar signing was expected and procedural. The Joey Porter Jr. situation is anything but. If camp opens and Porter is still unsigned, the temperature around this negotiation is only going to rise. The Steelers need to get this done before the leverage equation shifts any further away from them.