Joey Porter Jr. wants a new deal. The Steelers aren’t rushing. And one former NFL general manager thinks he knows why.
Doug Whaley, who ran the Bills’ front office for years, went on 93.7 The Fan recently and basically said Pittsburgh should be nervous about paying Porter because the guy doesn’t pick off enough passes. Which sounds reasonable enough until you actually look at the numbers.
Whaley’s argument was straightforward: elite corners get paid when they take the ball away. Porter has three interceptions in three seasons. That’s not eye-popping. But here’s where the logic gets a little wobbly.
The interception argument falls apart fast
Curt Popejoy of Steelers Wire pulled out the receipt book and pointed at the highest-paid cornerbacks in the league. Trent McDuffie of the Rams and Sauce Gardner of the Colts both make over $30 million per year. They’re two of only three corners in the NFL earning that kind of money — Derek Stingley Jr. of the Texans is the third.
McDuffie has three interceptions in four NFL seasons. Gardner also has three interceptions, except he’s played six seasons and hasn’t picked off a single pass in the last three years. Porter has three interceptions through just three seasons. So statistically, he’s actually ahead of both of them in that category.
That doesn’t mean Porter is definitively better than either guy. But it does mean the whole “lack of interceptions” critique doesn’t really hold up when applied to the market itself.
Whaley is entitled to his opinion. He worked in the league, he’s seen a lot of players. But the market has already spoken on this exact question, and the answer is: teams are paying top dollar for corners who lock down receivers, even if they aren’t picking off passes at a high rate.
Timing matters here
The Steelers might want to move sooner rather than later. Porter was drafted in 2023 along with guys like Devon Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez. If either of those players signs a massive extension first, it resets the market and makes Porter’s ask even bigger.
Training camp is still a few months away. That’s usually when these things either get done or turn into a distraction. Porter has been pushing for a new contract all offseason. Nothing has materialized yet.
Maybe Pittsburgh is just playing the waiting game. Or maybe they genuinely aren’t sure he’s worth the $30 million price tag. Either way, the interception argument doesn’t seem to be the real reason. The numbers just don’t back it up.
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