Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was listed as inactive ahead of the team's regular-season opener against the Atlanta Falcons at Acrisure Stadium. The rest of the players who were listed as inactive joined their teammates on the sidelines at the start of the game But according to Steelers beat writer Ray Fittipaldo, Porter Jr. wasn't one of them.
Porter Jr. is now in a position where he has to decide if he is willing to play 2026 on his rookie contract which will play him around $4 million or will Porter Jr. hold out. Porter Jr. is set to hit free agency at the end of the season.
Given how Porter Jr. handled falling out of the first round of the 2023 NFL draft, we aren't at all shocked that he wouldn't join his teammates on the sidelines.
Reports were that the Steelers and Porter Jr. were far apart on contract negotiations and Porter Jr. is open to a trade and playing elsewhere.
There has been no sign of Porter on the field at Axcrisure Stadium. DeShon Elliott, who is on IR, is on the field and with his teammates as they go through warmups. https://t.co/H6IyGSVVct
— Ray Fittipaldo (@rayfitt1) September 13, 2026
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Joey Porter Jr. chooses not to join teammates on Steelers sidelines
