{"id":156040,"date":"2026-02-24T09:39:58","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T09:39:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=156040"},"modified":"2026-02-24T09:39:58","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T09:39:58","slug":"better-get-nephew-paid-james-harrison-just-issued-a-savage-warning-the-steelers-would-be-absolute-fools-to-drag-their-feet-on-joey-porter-jr-s-extension-and-watch-their-best-young-cor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=156040","title":{"rendered":"“Better get nephew paid” \u2013 James Harrison just issued a savage warning: the Steelers would be absolute fools to drag their feet on Joey Porter Jr.’s extension and watch their best young corner cash in huge somewhere else."},"content":{"rendered":"

‘Better Get Nephew Paid’: James Harrison Warns Steelers Not To Wait To Extend Joey Porter Jr.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Joey<\/p>\n

The Pittsburgh Steelers\u2019 defense underperformed in 2025, but Joey Porter Jr. was a bright spot. Porter showed some encouraging signs, including cutting his penalty yards down, and he looked like a true No. 1 corner. However, Porter only has one year left on his rookie contract, so the Steelers have to decide whether or not to give him an extension this offseason.<\/p>\n

\u201cSteelers, y\u2019all better get Nephew [Porter] paid,\u201d James Harrison said Monday on his Deebo and Joe podcast. \u201cBecause they\u2019re saying that, if you do it now, you might have a chance at getting him at a reasonable price. If you let that man play this out, and he get to next year, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s still gonna be $32 [million] a year. Might be something worse than that. Y\u2019all make sure y\u2019all get Nephew, Joey Porter Jr., paid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indianapolis Colts corner Sauce Gardner is the highest-paid player at his position, making a little more than $30 million a year. Derek Stingley of the Houston Texans is right behind him at $30 million annually.<\/p>\n

Therefore, $32 million per year isn\u2019t just No. 1 corner money. It\u2019s the price for the best corner in the league. Porter had a good 2025 season, but he hasn\u2019t proven enough to warrant that kind of payday yet.<\/p>\n

Harrison is predicting that Porter could cost even more than that if the Steelers wait until next year to sign him. Maybe he\u2019ll be right, but Porter would have to have an incredible 2026 season to do that. Compare his current body of work to Gardner or Stingley. Both those players are multi-time first-team All-Pros while Porter has yet to even make a Pro Bowl.<\/p>\n

However, Harrison still might have a point. Signing Porter to an extension this offseason would be wise. The corner market has ballooned in recent years, and that\u2019s only going to continue with the way that the salary cap is rising. Also, other promising young corners like Devon Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez will likely get paid soon, which will further drive the market up.<\/p>\n

While the Steelers have a lot of money invested in their defense, it\u2019s important to lock up young talents like Porter long term. That\u2019s especially true for the Steelers, who have struggled to draft and develop corners in recent years. Porter isn\u2019t worth $32 million a year, but he should still get a hefty extension.<\/p>\n