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Eyebrows were raised when it was learned<\/a> on Sunday that the\u00a0<\/span>Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> had activated cornerback\u00a0<\/span>Joey Porter Jr.<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>from the physically unable to perform list.<\/p>\n Porter spent the majority of August on that list due to an alleged back issue that presumably is related to the fact that he is\u00a0in the final\u00a0<\/span>year<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>of his existing\u00a0contract. During a Monday appearance on Pittsburgh radio station 102.5 WDVE, Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette shared a big update regarding the Porter situation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “I still expect them to get a deal done before the end of next week,” Dulac said about the Steelers and Porter, per\u00a0<\/span>Josh Carney<\/span><\/a>\u00a0of Steelers Depot. “We’ll see. I think some of that’s gonna have to be some more realistic negotiating on maybe the other side. I don’t know the number, but obviously the fact that they’ve been nowhere near getting a deal done means that somebody probably wants way too much money. But I still believe, because they want to sign him, I still believe they’ll get a deal done because we see this happen many, many times.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The Steelers traditionally pause contract talks with players once a regular\u00a0<\/span>season<\/span>\u00a0gets underway. Pittsburgh opens the campaign with a home game\u00a0<\/span>against the Atlanta Falcons<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>on Sept. 13, and Porter potentially could threaten to hold out if he doesn’t have a signed deal in hand.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n A previous report<\/a> claimed that Porter does not necessarily need to become the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL<\/a> to sign an extension as soon as this week. Devon Witherspoon<\/a> of the Seattle Seahawks<\/a> set the market for players at the position this summer when he\u00a0signed his\u00a0<\/span><\/span>four-year,<\/a>\u00a0$132M contract, but Christian Gonzalez<\/a> of the\u00a0<\/span>New England Patriots\u00a0<\/a>could better<\/a> that deal if he signs a four-year extension before Week 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n It’s unclear how much lower Porter may be willing to go than Witherspoon and Gonzalez.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Albert Breer<\/a> of Sports Illustrated is among those who have said that “the Steelers really have gone all-in on” trying to win the Super Bowl in quarterback\u00a0<\/span>Aaron Rodgers<\/a>‘ expected final season<\/a> as an active player. Pittsburgh is unquestionably better with Porter than without him, and it sounds like he will be in the Steelers’ lineup against the Falcons.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I still think he doesn’t have many options, and the ones he does aren’t very good,” Dulac added about Porter. “If I were a betting man, he will be there against Atlanta one way or another. But I just believe they’ll get a deal done because I know they’d like to. But they’re not gonna break the bank just to get a deal done with Joey Porter.”\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Questions about Porter’s Week 1 status may only grow louder if he doesn’t sign an extension before the Labor Day holiday weekend gets underway. For what it’s worth, history suggests<\/a> this contract saga could last until the Friday before Pittsburgh’s regular-season opener.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhen could the Steelers get Joey Porter Jr. deal done?\u00a0<\/h2>\n
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Will Joey Porter Jr. be slowed by a “back injury” for Week 1?<\/h2>\n
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