The Pittsburgh Steelers and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. remain at a standstill on a contract extension, and according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the holdup may be more one-sided than fans realize. Fowler appeared on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh on Tuesday afternoon and revealed that Pittsburgh has not put a substantial offer in front of Porter, choosing instead to let the fourth-year corner play out the final season of his rookie deal. The news sent shockwaves through a fanbase already growing restless about the lack of traction on a deal that most assumed would get done before Week 1.

Fowler paints a bleak picture of Steelers’ urgency

Fowler, a longtime Steelers reporter turned national insider for ESPN, did not mince words when describing where negotiations stand. When asked about the Porter situation on 93.7 The Fan, Fowler said, “I don’t know how, how hard Pittsburgh is actually trying. As far as I’ve gathered, [they] haven’t made a formal offer yet, unless something has changed here in the short term.”

According to Fowler, the Steelers have approached this process with a “we want to see you play it out” mentality, referring to the fourth and final year on Porter’s rookie contract. He added that he checked in on the situation Tuesday afternoon and there was not a lot of optimism that things were moving any closer.

That tracks with what has been reported throughout the summer. There has been little to no traction on a deal between the two sides, and Fowler’s comments suggest that the lack of progress is largely by design from Pittsburgh’s front office, leaving Porter and his camp to consider all options, including a trade.

The Steelers’ approach is hard to understand

If all of that is true, and there is no reason to believe it isn’t, the question becomes: what in the world are the Pittsburgh Steelers thinking?

Porter may not belong in the camp of a Patrick Surtain or Derek Stingley or Christian Gonzalez, but he is a bona fide lockdown corner capable of erasing the opposing team’s top receiver. In an offseason where the Steelers paid players like outside linebacker Nick Herbig, defensive tackle Keeanu Benton, and tight end Darnell Washington, Porter has an argument that he is better than all three of those players. To not even present a real offer is, frankly, borderline crazy.

The data points are there now, too. Devon Witherspoon got his deal. Gonzalez signed just this week. The Steelers have every piece of market information they need to construct a competitive offer. The question is whether they actually want to.

Could the final 72 hours change everything?

To be fair, Fowler did note something worth considering. As Steelers fans know well, Pittsburgh has historically used the final days before a season opener as a self-imposed deadline to spur action. The next 72 hours or so could be the window where the front office writes up a contract, puts it in front of Porter, and gets a deal across the finish line.

Contract situations are fluid. This could get done fast. But as of Fowler’s most recent check-in, the vibe was not encouraging.

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The bottom line

The fact that the Steelers have told Joey Porter Jr. they want to wait and see, that they have not tried particularly hard to lock up one of their best young players heading into Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, is a troubling development. Porter is the kind of player you build around, not the kind you gamble on by letting walk into a contract year without so much as a serious offer on the table. Pittsburgh has the cap space, the market comps, and the motivation. The only thing missing, apparently, is the urgency.