The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed 2023 second-round pick Joey Porter Jr. to his four-year rookie deal, according to The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly. He tweeted the news moments ago.
The news comes less than 24 hours before the Steelers report to St. Vincent College for 2023 training camp. Porter, a cornerback out of Penn State, is one of the last rookie contracts in the entire 2023 draft class to be signed and the final one by Pittsburgh.
The four-year contract signed by Porter should total out at right around $9,618,348 and include a signing bonus of roughly $3,995,160. Porter’s 2023 salary cap charge figures to come in at right around $1,748,790. It’s a good bet that the first three years of Porter’s contract are fully guaranteed and a good portion of the final year as well. That he is one of the last draft picks to sign is likely due to a dispute over how much his fourth-year salary should be guaranteed. Porter’s awkward positioning of being the 32nd overall pick but the top selection of the second round made this negotiation more complicated than the Steelers’ other six choices.
NFL reporter Aaron Wilson has the details, of the deal. Initially, Wilson tweeted Porter would receive 70 percent guaranteed money in the fourth year of his deal, the main sticking point of the contract. By comparison, the 33rd overall pick, Tennessee Titans QB Will Levis, received 60.5 percent fully guaranteed in his fourth year. That tweet has now been deleted and re-posted without any mention of the fourth-year money.
Porter was the Steelers’ second pick behind Georgia OT Broderick Jones. Viewed as a likely first-round pick and potential option for the Steelers at No. 17 entering the draft, he surprisingly fell out of the first round. The top prospect on the board on Day Two, GM Omar Khan confirmed the team turned down multiple “strong” trade offers to keep the pick and select Porter at the top of the second round. Khan would later say that had Porter not been available, it’s highly likely the Steelers would’ve traded down from their spot and changed the entire complexion of their draft class.
A long and physical press cornerback with elite length, notably 34-inch arms, Porter is most comfortable in man coverage, which fits in well with the Steelers’ man-heavy scheme. Of course, he’s also a feel-good story, coming back to Pittsburgh where he grew up and watched his dad, Joey Sr., play and coach.
In his college career, Porter lacked splash plays with just one career interception but broke up 20 passes, including 11 in 2022. He’s also a physical tackler and aggressive when coming downhill in the flat. Pittsburgh figures to immediately work him into sub-packages, though it’s unclear exactly how that will look.
You can read our full scouting report on Porter below.
