Overview
- Porter was activated from the PUP list and returned to limited practice this week but said Tuesday he is unsure if he will play in the Sept. 13 season opener without a new deal.
- General manager Omar Khan confirmed the club will not negotiate after the regular season begins, creating a firm window for talks and contributing to what Mike McCarthy called an on-field impasse.
- Multiple national reports say the Steelers went weeks without presenting a formal offer, a gap that Jeremy Fowler and others say prompted Porter to consider asking for a trade or sitting out.
- The corner market has been reset by Devon Witherspoon’s four-year, $132 million extension, leaving a roughly $10 million annual gap between top-market deals and a projected $23 million franchise tag.
- A sideline conversation between Porter and GM Omar Khan at practice is the latest sign talks are urgent, and the club now has limited options: a last-minute extension, using the tag, trading him, or having Porter play under his expiring rookie deal or sit out.