The Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off a massive restructure of DK Metcalf’s contract, creating nearly $18 million in cap space. But according to one team insider, the move has nothing to do with the ongoing Joey Porter Jr. contract drama.
Following the news of Metcalf's restructured deal, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac reported that the move was a "normal cap conversion" and "not related to trying to sign Joey Porter Jr."
SOURCES: Steelers have restructured DK Metcalf’s contract to free up approximately $18 million in cap space. The move is a “normal cap conversion” and is not related to trying to sign Joey Porter Jr.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) August 27, 2026
With the restructure, the Steelers converted most of Metcalf's $25 million 2026 base salary into a signing bonus, lowering his
cap hit for this year by $17.775 million. This would accommodate an increase in Porter's 2026 salary if an extension is reached, but Dulac's report argues that the two moves would be unrelated.
Over the past several weeks, Steelers fans have seen Porter dominate headlines through contract speculation, trade rumors, cryptic social media posts, and more. Metcalf's restructured deal offered hope that this chaotic situation with Porter could soon come to an end, but it appears that Steelers Nation will need to wait a little while longer for a potential deal to get done.
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This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers create massive cap space but Joey Porter Jr. drama takes another twist
