Steelers’ loss to the Patriots further clouds Joey Porter Jr.’s future as both sides dig their heels in ahead of pivotal week
A reported plan for Porter’s season debut against the Bengals now carries far more questions than answers after what unfolded Sunday.
The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the New England Patriots on Sunday, and Joey Porter Jr. was not on the field for the second straight week. What we learned before and during the game only clouds the young cornerback’s future in Pittsburgh further.
Before kickoff, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and multiple insiders reported that “Pittsburgh is planning for cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to make his season debut next Sunday against the Bengals. Porter, however, also has other medical plans.”
Those medical plans amount to Porter seeking a second opinion. So the immediate question becomes: if the Steelers have cleared Porter medically and believe he is healthy enough to play, and Porter continues to maintain that he is not healthy enough to play, what exactly is going on?
The business component Mike McCarthy acknowledged
The truth is, as coach Mike McCarthy has admitted over the past few weeks, there is a business component to Porter’s absence. The Steelers don’t want to trade him. They want him to play, simple as that. Pittsburgh has cleared him medically, wants him in the building, wants him to play out his rookie deal, and plans to address any contract situation next year because the organization does not negotiate during the season.
That stance from the front office is firm. Per multiple reports, Pittsburgh has no interest in moving Porter. The problem is that Porter does not appear to be on the same page.
Jalen Ramsey’s sideline gesture adds fuel to the fire
Beyond the contract dispute, what happened on the field Sunday suggests this situation is beginning to affect the locker room. As Noah Strackbein captured in a post, Steelers cornerback Jalen Ramsey was in visible support of Porter after recording a sack, flashing the number 24 to the camera.
Whether the Steelers want to admit it, whether Porter wants to admit it, this has become a distraction. After a loss, the conversation centers on where Joey Porter Jr. is. During a loss, one of Pittsburgh’s star veteran defensive players is flashing Porter’s number. The coach is openly acknowledging the business side of the absence. Players in the locker room are very clearly on Porter’s side, while the front office and possibly even the coaching staff are not.
That is a fracture, and fractures tend to widen if they are not addressed.
Joey Porter Jr. 2025 stats
14 games played
- 52 total tackles
- 14 pass breakups
- 1 interception
What happens next determines everything
This situation has reached a tipping point. What happens over the next several days could largely determine Porter’s long-term future with the Steelers. It is all on him now, whether he suits up against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3 or whether he forces his way out of Pittsburgh via a trade.
The Steelers have drawn their line: they believe Porter is healthy, they want him on the field, and they are not interested in trading him. Porter, by seeking a second opinion, is drawing his own. Something has to give, and the Bengals game feels like the deadline for this standoff.
