The Pittsburgh Steelers have not made any progress with Joey Porter Jr. Pittsburgh is in a contract standoff with Porter that is bleeding into the regular season. It is now an open question when the talented cornerback will play again, and if it will even be for the Steelers.
Porter gave some honest answers about his contract situation when talking to reporters on Thursday. He was asked how he felt after negotiations broke down before the regular season.
“It didn't get done, it didn't happen. That's really just old news for me now,” Porter replied, per ESPN's Brooke Pryor. “It's mainly just focused on what I got ahead of me and really just getting back to 100%.”
Porter also replied “yeah, definitely” when another reporter asked if he saw himself playing at some point this season.
That second answer does not look too surprising on the surface. But it could only mean a few different things given how much is happening around Porter right now.
Porter was back at practice on Wednesday though he only participated on a limited basis. He was officially listed with a non-injury/conditioning designation. Porter has been given the same injury designation in the past only to return to the injury report. That certainly matches the profile of a player in a contract dispute who does not want to practice without a new deal.
Pittsburgh is not actively shopping Porter, but that may be the best way to solve this problem. If the Steelers do not plan to extend Porter, keeping him sitting on the roster does little good. But there isn't much incentive for Pittsburgh to force a trade, especially in Aaron Rodgers' last season in the NFL.
It will be interesting to see how long it takes for Porter to action. Until then, Steelers fans should keep their eyes peeled for further developments.
Next up for the Steelers is a Week 3 matchup with the Bengals. This AFC North showdown kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on Sept. 27th from Acrisure Stadium.