At this point, an old rhinoceros getting voted as NFL MVP is more likely than Joey Porter Jr. and the Pittsburgh Steelers finding a compromise on the fourth-year cornerback's contract extension.
The long stalemate has been a distraction for the Steelers, whether they admit it or not. It remains unclear when Porter will suit up. He, however, mentioned that he “definitely” sees himself playing for Pittsburgh at some point this season.
The 26-year-old Porter was a limited participant in practice on Thursday as he continues to recover from a back injury.
The Steelers are preparing for the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. When asked about his face-offs with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, Porter did not bite his lip.
“I never really struggled against them, so it's always been fun getting out there with them,” claimed Porter, as quoted by 93.7 The Fan's Mark Kaboly.
He has a 4-1 record against the Bengals, tallying 23 total tackles.
He was blasted on X for his confident response.
“It will look bad if he says that comment and then sits out, LOL,” said @ficospas101.
“Chase and Higgins have lit the Steelers up plenty of times while Porter was on the field,” added @GringoRico787.
“If JPJ is such a shutdown CB, why didn't he follow Chase around the field last year when (Joe) Flacco torched them?” asked @JohnSmith0tc.
“Spoken like someone who knows he isn't playing,” wrote @JoshYohe_PGH.
“He 100% struggled against Chase and Higgins. LOL. Pull up the tape,” commented @BillMurphyFail.
Porter denied that he has already requested a trade. Moreover, he stressed that recovering from his back injury is a priority, as reported by ESPN's Brooke Pryor.
“My back has its moments where (there's) a flare-up here and there. We're still just trying to get my conditioning down to just me being out there as much as possible,” said Porter.
He traveled with the Steelers in visiting the New Orleans Pelicans in Week 2.