The Pittsburgh Steelers elevated to 2-1 after knocking off the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday. But they've done it without star cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who remains in a contract dispute. Head coach Mike McCarthy addressed his situation on Monday.
McCarthy is holding onto hope that Porter will indeed return for week four.
“I hope so. We have a plan for Joey,” McCarthy shared via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “He's in the same situation as anyone coming off a medical situation.”
Porter isn't dealing with an NFL Injury, though. He's been absence due to waiting on a new extension. Porter remains the one NFL star who hasn't agreed to a new deal past the first three games of the regular season.
He's already seen other star cornerbacks reset the market. Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl champion Devon Witherspoon signed his blockbuster $132 million deal for four more years. Then New England Patriots star CB Christian Gonzalez agreed to a record-setting $135 million extension for four years before the season began.
So Porter will have to surpass the $34 million annual mark to earn more than both young star corners. But the Steelers and Porter's agency haven't come to an agreement on that front. He's even overhears some trade inquiries.
The Dallas Cowboys surfaced as a rumored interested team for Porter. Same with the Detroit Lions, with both NFC teams linked to Porter on Sunday. Porter has gone from star lockdown CB for Pittsburgh to, arguably, the one star to monitor ahead of the NFL's Trade Deadline set for Nov. 10.