The Pittsburgh Steelers got some good news Monday morning as head coach Mike McCarthy announced that both rookie tackle Max Iheanachor and defensive back Jalen Ramsey will return to practice this week ahead of their final preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. This will be the first time Ramsey has been cleared to practice since the start of training camp after landing on the PUP list.
But this good news was also undercut with a more troubling update. Joey Porter Jr., lir Ramsey, spent the entirety
of training camp in the PUP List, reportedly dealing with a back issue. He’s still also seeking a contract extension from the Steelers.
On Monday, the Steelers head coach admitted that the Porter Jr. contract talks have reached an impasse.
“I learned this in my early years as a head coach, you have to separate the business and football. Sometimes it’s easier in others. This is a challenge for both Joey and us because we’re first-year staff,” McCarthy said Monday. “We’ve seen them play, compete against Joey. I would love the opportunity to coach Joey Porter. I know our defensive guys would love the opportunity. So we’re at an impasse right here, and you got to respect that. Every one of us has a contract. The organization, they have beliefs and so forth. But yeah, that’s just kind of where we are.”
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported over the weekend that there hasn’t been any meaningful progress in contract negotiations between Porter Jr. and the Steelers. With the start of the regular season now under three weeks away, questions about whether or not the star defensive back will be willing to play without a new deal from the Steelers will continue to come up.
The Steelers typically don’t negotiate contracts with players in the middle of the season, so it’s reasonable to expect September 13, the date of the Steelers’ Week 1 matchup with the Falcons to serve as a hard deadline. Time is running out, but Steelers fans should remember that negotiations with T.J. Watt in 2021 also went right up until the 11th hour. That year, Watt signed his extension just three days before the Week 1 kickoff.
Whether a similar deal can be struck with Porter Jr. remains to be seen.
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