June 5, 2025 • 28 mins
Joey Porter Jr is coming off something of a sophomore slump and Darius Slay is getting up there with age. Both starters need to prove they can handle going up against elite passing offenses this year.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
The Steelers are the center of the football world's attention.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
The nexus of the universe.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Right now, and football universe. It's really the only story
that matters right now is when's he gonna show up
and who's gonna be the quarterback for the Steelers. There
are other stories that matter, the Browns and their quarterback situation,
what the Cowboys do with Micah Parsons. Just the general.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
I don't know, it's a huge one. Go ahead, Saquon
Barkley on the Madden cover.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Okay, I guess that is kind of a mildly A
mildly it's not general, you know, just predictive nature of
this time of year. This team's gonna do good, this
team's gonna drop off, Like beyond all that stuff. It's Rogers.
It's the Steelers. There's nothing else to really talk about
that could matter than this, and we've talked about it
(00:55):
certainly enough this week. A lot of the episode on Tuesday. Today,
the final day, Thursday, June fifth, of OTA's for the Steelers.
It gets real next week, Mandatory mini camp starts. Still
nothing on Rogers today, probably won't have anything until maybe
early next week, or maybe something moves over the weekend.
(01:16):
I'm in the camp that he will not be at
the Steelers camp though, and that we will continue to
wait TJ. Watt. That's a whole nother story. Will he
show up to mandatory Mini camp or not. I had
Ray fit Apaulo on with the Mark Madden Show earlier
this week, Great Steelers writer for the Post Gazette, and
he said that he fully expects TJ. Watt to be
there at mandatory Mini camp, so we will see how
(01:38):
that shakes out. Those are the two big topics in Steelers.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Sounds like there's a butt coming.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Right because those are the obvious, you know, topics that
matter the most is Rogers and then what's gonna happen
with the TJ. Watt contract? And methinks that we are
going to go through another month of both of those
being topic A for the Pittsburgh Steelers. What is a
guarantee that's not going to happen until training Camp. I
(02:07):
firmly believe that it's going to be the same movie
as three years ago going through that Rogers. Maybe it
does get resolved next week in the time between Mini
Camp wrapping and Training camp starting, or it could very
likely go all the way up into training camp. So
the butt that's coming Jacob is We've talked so much
about those, including in an episode we did earlier this week.
(02:30):
Those two topics that I want to focus on. Another
area of this team that has me just a little nervous,
and it's not the offensive line. I think that is
the obvious point to go to and say, yeah, I'm
nervous about this unit. They need to step up this year.
If they don't progress, then you're not going to necessarily
(02:51):
have one of the worst offensive lines in football, but
you're going to be very worried about the future at
that position with all the capital that you've put into it. No,
my worry today comes on the defensive side of the ball.
Can you guess where it is?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
I guess in the second?
Speaker 1 (03:06):
In the second, are you.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Going specific position or just in general?
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Well, you nailed the position group it is in the
second because there are question marks at both safety and corner.
But I think the more glaring question mark is at corner.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
And because you have you have the for sure thing
in Minka, but he's slowed down.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
And that's what we're going to get to in a
little bit here is because that is an angle to
the secondary is Minca needs to be an all Pro
again and they haven't had that for a couple of
years now from him, so you need to get him
back to form. But that's still Minka Fitzpatrick and Deshaun Elliott.
I mean, that's good.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Has been a huge asset.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
I'm not worried about that. I need more from it,
sure from the Minka side of it, but I'm not
worried about it. Porter and Darius Slag there.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Are question marks for both.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Both of them have question marks for sure. Porter Junior
needs to take a big stride this year to becoming
that superstar level player that it looked like he could
have been and showed flashes of being in his rookie season.
Be a top five corner in the league, a shutdown man,
demand cornerback. And then Darius Slay has the questions about
(04:20):
his age. And that is a position that even though
you can point to last year and say, hey, Darius
Slay was pretty good in Philadelphia, the bottom can fall
out so quickly on a spot like that. It's losing
literally just a half a step and you could be
you could go from being one of the best corners
(04:40):
in the league to being cooked on a relatively frequent basis.
So I look at Darius Slay opposite of Joey Porter Jr.
And I think it's very logical to have some worry
about what he would I'll be able to do at
(05:01):
age thirty four. I mean, that's just when it comes
to a corner and you get to that point in
your career, you have to have some questions and you
have to have some doubts about him. He was really
good last year in Philadelphia. Didn't have an interception, but
he was a very solid contributor to that defense. But
you were able to be really well insulated in that defense,
(05:22):
like Philadelphia was a good spot for an aging corner
to go and have a very graceful end of his
career because you had an elite defensive line, you had
elite linebackers. I mean we're talking first team All Pro,
second team All pros. In both of those levels, you
had better corners than you in the second area as well.
(05:43):
They're both rookies, so I mean it was easier for
Slagh than I think it could be here. Now he's
the number two. Now he is the guy that needs
to step up and be opposite of Joey Porter Junior
and provide the ability for the Steelers to play a
lot of man with Joey Porter Junior strength is and
he can't be a complete weak link when it comes
to that. I'm not saying that it's a foregone conclusion
(06:05):
in my mind that Darius Slay is going to be
bad and that it's gonna be a problem, and that
that t Higgins is gonna just eat him, or honestly,
the Steelers like to do Porter on Higgins, so whoever,
the other going right for teams that have another legitimate
option is gonna have some barbecue chicken when it comes
to Darius Lay all game long. I'm not saying that
that's a guarantee. I think Slay could have a very
(06:27):
good year at an older age, but again, it's just
the fact that it happens so quick at that position
when you go from being playable to I don't know
if I can trust this guy anymore, And it quite
often isn't very gradual, like it's not like, yeah, he
took a slight step back, still serviceable. Like a lot
(06:50):
of times when you get up to thirty four to
thirty five years old at corner, it can go from Yeah,
he's very good, serviceable player too, I don't think he
can play in the NFL anymore like it can change
that quickly. Again, I'm not saying that I am predicting
it to change for Darius Lay. In fact, quite the opposite.
I hope that Joey Porter Junior is like the legitimate
(07:10):
top five type of guy that we've seen flashes of.
I hope Minka comes on, and I hope Deshaun Elliott
plays really strong and then you can kind of get
some of that insulation here in Pittsburgh like he did
back in Philadelphia. If he can be the fourth best
player in that in that defensive backfield, and and I
don't mean that based on everybody stinks and he's the
fourth of the worst.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
I mean everybody everybody is.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
That he just falls into line there and has an
average to adequate season, things are going to be a
okay when it comes to that Steeler secondary. But you
have to just look at the age and you have
to connect the obvious thoughts that it could go wrong there.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
It could, but I think that's playing Devil's advocate right
like you, Like you said, like he worked so well
in Philadelphia last season, because that whole, well, the whole defense,
that eleven guys plus people on the bench are all
very talented in Philadelphia. But I think your point is
your point about if he has Minka, a all pro
(08:04):
capable safety, as his ballhawk as his safety blanket, and
then Deshaun Elliott, who could be as good as a
pro bowler, let's say this season, and then if Joey
Porter Junior returns to what we saw out of him
in his rookie year, the shutdown corner, the CB one
of the league or potential CB one of the league,
(08:24):
like you said, a top five guy, then the weight's
not on him and he doesn't have to be the
Darius Slay not at thirty four, but at twenty eight even,
let's say.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
And Darius Slay has had a very consistently good It's not.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Like he fell off a cliff last year and he
was the fifth reeld last year.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
It's not like he started late in his career, like
was a late bloomer. Like he's just been a very
very good to great sometimes. He's the first team All
Pro in twenty seventeen for the Detroit Lions. He had
eight interceptions that year. Jacob I mean that's led the league.
He's got twenty eight career intersections. Funny enough, last year
with the Eagles was the first year he had not
(09:04):
registered in interceptions since his rookie year in twenty thirteen
with the Detroit Lions, where he only started in four games.
He started in fourteen games for the Eagles last year.
But this is a guy that's not like, you know,
you look at him and you're like, oh, you know what,
he's playing really well as he gets older, he's a
fine line. Or this guy really peaked early, stacked up
his Pro Bowls and All Pros in his early twenties,
(09:24):
and then kind of just has been a steady presence
in the NFL ever since. Like, no, this is Pro Bowl,
All Pro first Team from twenty seventeen on. And I
know he missed the Pro Bowl last year and in
twenty twenty as well, but every year in between that
he's getting at least a Pro Bowl nod. This is
a very very accomplished, well established, not Hall of Fame,
(09:47):
but probably like brushing up on that hall of very
good level player.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
Maybe like a decade.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
I don't know if you're gonna get there's some really
good corners in this decade too. He's just that he
was on championship guys that maybe not the best corner
on his championship team though.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Yeah, I mean the two young guys you can make
the guy the kid, the kid whose birthday was who
had the pick six.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Maybe he just is the perfect case of that guy
that you know. Yeah, he's not a top five corner,
probably never was. Maybe it was once one in that
year when he was first team on Pro but never
really thought of that way in that light. But is
just very good. And like when you bring up like,
hey you got Darius slay and again now that he's
thirty four, it changes a little bit. But back in
the four years years when Philly got him, it was like,
(10:30):
oh we got slave.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
But even so, like last year, like he was still
an integral part of that defensive secondary for Philadelphia.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Now he wasn't very big play slayish last year. No,
but that's one fumble recovery and a forced fumble, so
he did make some splash. But this is a guy
that's consistently had two or three picks a season the
previous couple of years. A couple fumble recoveries along the way,
to he'said. In twenty twenty one, he returned two fumbles
for a touchdown. He had re interceptions in return one
(11:01):
of those for a touchdown, three touchdowns.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
That's probably where he earned the Moniker Big plays.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
He's had that since Detroit. I mean he's he had
a pick six and twenty eighteen for Detroit. He has
had impact, Like I said, yeah, from his second season
in the NFL in twenty fourteen till his tenth or
excuseme me, eleventh season in the NFL last year.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
But again, I don't think anyone in Philadelphia was was
complaining about the play they got out of Darius last year.
It just he may have fallen through the cracks because
you have such a dominant defensive front led by Jalen Carter.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
You have maybe the biggest leap.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Of any defender this year in Zach Bond in the
linebacking unit. And then you have your two rookies, Quinnon
Mitchell and the kid from Iowa, Cooper Dejen, who both
exploded onto the scene, like I said, as rookies. Cooper Dejen,
as rookie, as a twenty two year old on his birthday,
had that pick six in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs.
(11:58):
So playmakers literally all over that defense. And it's okay
if not everyone is making huge plays because you have
you have guys who are playmakers who can compensate for
those guys like Darius Lay who maybe had a down year,
but again we're talking about a down year in terms
of turnover.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
Abilities.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Doesn't mean that his passer reading allow was was significantly
worse than it was.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
In the past.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Darius Slay was a very good player last year, and
you don't need years from him. If you're the Steelers,
you need one more good year from him. You signed
them to a one year deal, Yeah, you need just
one year.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
I think though, like you feel comfortable, comfortable of getting
another year out of him, Like if you see a
good year, maybe say another one year deal.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
I think you would hope at that point that a
Corey Trice might be coming along. O Sure, comfortable, or
you just go into the draft again, maybe free agency
and get a little younger at that sage.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
My concern with that is if we're going to believe
the narrative of you're gonna move up in the draft
get quarterback, you might not have that ability to really
get a guy that can pair alongside Joey Porter Junior,
maybe maybe leap Corey Trice on the depth chart.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
That's why I think maybe free agency is your route
and ar I mean, that's why what they did they
went into and he was like, until someone who has
not signed yet potentially signs, that's your big price free
agent this offseason is signing Darius Slay to the one
year whatever ten million dollar contract DK metcalf I get
(13:29):
is the most money you gave out this offseason. But
that was technically a trade, so I get out of
that on a little technicality there. You know, as far
as pursuing free agents is concerned, I don't think I'm
missing anybody. There's not a blind spot there. Darius Slay
was the big money until you go and you sign
Aaron Rodgers like we all think is going to happen,
and he will most definitely pass the mark that Slay
(13:49):
made for his one year deal. But you only need
the one year out of this guy, and you know that.
I'm happy that they went into free agents see and
spent a legitimate amount of money on getting somebody to
be the starter opposite of Joey, someone that can place
a man has a track record of that in the past,
because I think Joey needs to play man a lot more.
(14:11):
But you know how high was on like a DJ
read this offseason, right. How I wanted to do that
this offseason is to put kind of those chips into
the table. Three four year deal with a younger corner
that's been established in the NFL, And maybe I was
just a year early on that. Maybe you pull the
trigger on that next year because think about some of
the pieces that'll be moving next year. You'll have the
(14:32):
WAT contract already figured out, so you can kind of,
you know, restructure if you need to, or maybe you'll
ease up the cap. In the first couple of years
with the WAT deal, you will have probably Aaron Rodgers
off your books. You will, I know there's still some
debate about one or two years with him.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
I'm gonna guess even if he comes here, it's a
one year.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
So he's off the books and your rookie quarterbacks in
and he's making peanuts compared to what her quarterback usually does.
So your window as far as winning with a young, cheap,
affordable quarterback will officially start to open. And that doesn't
mean that you can win a super Bowl in that window.
It just means that you can do it the most
efficient way in the NFL. Probably the way most GM's
(15:16):
dream about doing it in the NFL is nailing it
in that rookie quarterback contract. So you'll have that that'll
make you cheap. You have a lot of cap space already.
I think that there will be maybe more of a
willingness to push more money towards a longer term deal
at a cornerback who is in his maybe mid to
(15:38):
late twenties as opposed to this year. Because this year,
you know, they're keeping things flexible for them because of Rogers, Yeah,
because of having to sign TJ. Watt to the contract
that's coming up. So I think that even though I
would have loved to see it this offseason, maybe they
prioritize a couple of other things. The best edge rusher
(16:00):
and football and a quarterback is a pretty good thing
to prioritize over that. And they still didn't just skip
over it completely. They still put money towards that position.
Need Slay to play big against opposite of Joey Porter Junior.
But after talking about Darius Slay for the past twelve
minutes or how long it's been I don't want to
kind of excuse what we mentioned at the beginning with
Joey Porter Junior. And although it's important for Slay to
(16:23):
be good to slightly above average and not really be
that week of a link, not show the signs of
completely dropping off, it's just as important, if not more important,
for Joey Porter Junior to take that leap into the superstardom.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
Well we thought there is leap last second season, so
does he have to kind of compensate for that?
Speaker 1 (16:43):
I just have to have a good year. You have
to have a great season. Like you don't have to
have an all world type of season where you have
five interceptions, you return, you don't have to be the
defensive player of the year because you took a little
bit of a step back last year. No over compensation necessary.
You don't even have to make a first or second
team pro There's really great corners in this league. Hell
one just one deepoy and certain in Denver. So, like
(17:06):
I if you are just someone that is in discussion
for that though, and it's just kind of off the
top of your head, Yeah, Joey Porter Junior is that dude?
And you start seeing games where Uh, Jamar Chase's box
score tea. I keep doing that with the Bengals because
it's just such a defunct.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
Well there's so many guys, yeah they can, but see
Higgins is like three catches for fifty yards and then
the next week some guys like four catches for ten yards,
Like that.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Would be Amazingie year.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
It started with that Tennessee game DeAndre Hopkins, who wasn't
in Baltimore, Odell right, and that wasn't even.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
As a starter. He was out there later in a
game and made that interception. And then Kenny Pickett, as
he was somehow able to do quite frequently in his
time here in Pittsburgh, was able to pull one drive
out of his butt, right, like pull one big bomb
that you just want to put the cherry on top
of that. And then the steel to beat the Ravens.
But Joey Porter Junior made the big play. Uh, it
(18:03):
was over. Ravens were gonna kill the Steelers. I don't
mean kill them as far as the scores concerned. That
was the killer, the pun we're gonna and JPJ changed
the game for the Steelers there, So I you know, no.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
I think you're spot on.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
I don't think it's excusable for him to not to
play like last year. Honestly, it needs to be a
step above and I like how he is physical, but
that is something that needs to be fixed big time,
is the grabbiness. But at the same time, you don't
want to take away what makes him great in that physicality,
because I do think that if he can string together
(18:37):
a year here in another year where he is All
Pro caliber, your reputation shifts when it comes to these referees.
Like right now, he's the young player trying to establish himself.
He keeps grabbing these superstar receivers. Who gets the benefit
of the doubt there Like a pitcher who's established going
up against the rookie batter. For you, Yeah, two years
(18:58):
from now, Joey Porter Junior, maybe he's a second team
All Pro in a couple of years. Next year he
has a great season two all of a sudden, it's Oh,
that's Joey Porter Junior going up against this young receiver
trying to establish himself. Hey, young receiver, so you keep
talking about him grabbing you. Welcome to the NFL and
welcome to Joey Porter Junior. You got a lot of
these guys that you're gonna have to, you know, not
(19:18):
need the refs for excuses on every time. So I
think that maybe the perception changes a little bit, but
you got to have really great seasons for that to happen,
or else you're just gonna end up being that average
corner that grabs a lot.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Was it the Cincinnati game, the first one where he
got called like four times?
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Shoot out against Cincinnati instance.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
So that's a good example.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
That's a good example of you're not going to like
that game is a good example of what his role
was within the league at that time.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
He wasn't established.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
He had a good rookie season, but because even leading
up to that game, he wasn't playing at the level
of which he played in his rookie season, he didn't
earn that reputation of, oh, he plays that way, but
he plays that way in a legal sense, in a
fair sense and a and a game allowed sense, And
so maybe half of those calls aren't made, maybe four
(20:10):
becomes two, or maybe four becomes even one. But because
of the overall season that he have, like he's going,
like you said, he's still going to have that reputation
of when a ref sees him going up against some
guy and he sees some hands going up. He's gonna
make the the Gunnington call to throw the flag on
Joey Porter Junior.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
So I agree with you.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
You don't want to teach him to get away from
what he does best was just being physical.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
But you also have to instill in him.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Like, hey, he's got to find a good balance, right.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
You gotta know when to do it and when not
to do it. You gotta know which referee crew calls
this more often than others and to be aware of that.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
Yeah, not just with the referee cru in specific, because
you have more refs called defensive past interference, I'm call
holding more blah blah blah. But just as far as
you being a player, like, don't be like all this
ref I need to be a little less grabby because
this rep CU is a little more on you better.
You just need to be that elite cornerback that we
(21:14):
think you can be because you showed signs of it
in your rookie season and you showed some signs of
it last year as well. So I feel like a
lot of people hearing this episode that we did will
I think I'm very negative on these guys, I'm not.
I am actually optimistic on both of the topics that
we've talked about today. On Darius Slay being able to
push off for at least one more year. Yeah, the
(21:35):
old father time and retirement clock that's ticking down on him.
And I'm extremely confident in Joey Porter Junior being able
to blossom now in his third season in the NFL.
You're a veteran now, I mean, this is no surprises
for you, and you know why. I'm extra confident in
Joey Porter Jr. Money Right time for Joey to start
(21:57):
making the money. This is the third year he's technically
a second round pick, so he doesn't have a fifth
year option that the Steelers can pick up. So the
second last year, you're looking at a contract extension next offseason.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
If you're Joey, you're looking to get that deal done
before your contract expired.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
Don't want to go into that last year. You're kind
of wondering. And I think the Steelers, with the track
record they've had it not only trying to find a corner,
but draft one, especially, if you can just give them
the reason to give you that second contract, they're gonna
be happy. Yeah, so got an in house corner. Now
(22:38):
I haven't had that what since ike, Like probably it's
been a long time since you've grown someone at that
position yourself. The last really good to great corner was
a Cleveland transplant and Joe Hender. So, I mean, this
is an opportunity now for the Steelers to finally kind
of get one right when it comes to the draft
(23:00):
of that position. And I do think they are going
to get that one right. Like I said, I'm very optimistic.
But when money starts to become an issue for these players,
and when it's time to make real generational wealth, you
know what I mean, Like my kids kids are going
to be good now as long as I manage this correctly.
And he will because his dad's Joey Senior and knows
(23:20):
how to do all this stuff, and he's got a
lot of money as well. The porters aren't struggling, let's
put it that way. But now Joey Junior gets the
chance to get his money to be like, hey, I'm
not just you know, I got daddy's dime. I make
myself a nice little nest for my family. It's time
to do that this year. So I know, that there
(23:45):
is a little bit of a skepticism sometimes where it's like, well,
players ball out in the money years and then you know,
they get the contract and they slow down. I'm not
trying to elude that, but I am saying that when
a second round pick, who doesn't have that fifth round
option that was slotted in the second round technically as
far as the rookie contract he signed is concerned, sees
that carrot dangling out in front of him of forty
(24:05):
five million dollars thirty nine million something like that, that
is an unbelievable jump. And I think that Joey is
going to go out put on such a great season
here in year three for him that it's a very
easy decision for the Steelers this offseason two up him.
Speaker 3 (24:27):
Yeah, it's a mutually beneficial thing, right, because the Steelers want,
like you said, want to have that ability to say
that we finally have a homegrown talent at that cornerback
position that we can give it offer a second contract to.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
And Joey Porter Jr. Wants his life to be easy
as well.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
He wants to go out there this season and given
his performance in year three, be guaranteed to say, hey,
I showed that I can be that top ten quarterback
cornerback in the league, and so I put that tape
out there. So now I don't have to enter my
fourth and final year my rookie contract kind of playing
(25:07):
for my life now because I didn't improve it in
year three either.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
And I'm sure, like like you said, the Steelers.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
Want to give it to him too.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
Senior and Junior probably want him to be in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
Wanted to be in Pittsburgh. The Steelers wanted to be
in Pittsburgh. Like for all those reasons I just listed out.
It has nothing to do with the familial stuff. And
he's a Steeler because his dad was a Steeler. They
wanted to be a Steeler because they drafted this guy
with a thirty second overall pick a couple of years ago.
You want to nail that draft pick. You don't want
to have that draft pick be somebody that you have
to now all of a sudden move on from It's
no secret Steelers Nation about the twenty twenty two Steelers
(25:38):
draft class, right, I.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
Mean, everybody's pretty much gone except for past team twenty
twenty two.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
I'm thinking of the Picket year. The Picket draft class
is not a good draft class.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
I mean, you're yeah, but Path.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Was in the nausey draft class. You don't have Picket anymore.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Pickens.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
You don't have pickens anymore. Like your top picks in
just a draft three years ago. This should be their
fourth year as players not very good. So you need
to have a really good draft class in twenty three,
twenty four, and of course in twenty five. We don't
know about any of those yet. Jerry's still out on
all those draft classes. But twenty twenty three, sure is
(26:18):
it's time right to start to kind.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
Of I mean that's why I was still like, I mean, yes,
if Joey Porter Junior doesn't work out, there's question marks
at the top between him.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
And broad Rock.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
But I'm saying, like, for that class, now it's the year, like,
let's find out these guys second contract guys or did
we kind of swing and miss here with their first
two draft picks in that class. I think Joey Porter
Junior is the second contract guy, and I think again
the decision will be made kind of for the Steelers
this season. He's going to have a great year and
they're going to go into next offseason. It might not
(26:50):
happen fast because they like to do things early in
the offseason. I mentioned Ray earlier when he was on
he said that he looked back at this and he'd
only really come up with like two instances where the
Steelers have given out a June contract. Troy Paulamalu was
one way back when he's I think he deserved it,
got that done in camp and then funny enough, Minkea
(27:11):
Fitzpatrick if you remember when he got his extension, was
done at Mini camp right around this time for the Steelers.
So maybe it's just a safety thing that's when they
do it in June. But even if it goes until
training camp of twenty twenty six, for Joey to ink
that new extension, if he has a year that is
really good to great, it's a no brainer like that.
(27:34):
That's just the Steelers going through the emotions of what
they like to do and nothing more than that. There's
no thought thinking behind it. It's not going to break
your bank being a cornerback to it. Just you want
this to be. One of the easier decisions in the
twenty twenty six offseason for the Steelers is extending Porter Junior.
(27:55):
We will get to Minkea Fitzpatrick. When we come back
into the next episode, we'll talk more about the second day,
also look around the NFL, get some NFL stuff that
I want to dive into. And we'll do a little
bitmarking today too. Whoa pick up with tight Ends because
I think it's appropriate with all the tight end kind
of rumors swirling around the Pittsburgh Steelers right now, and
(28:15):
we'll get into that as well. We'll do that to
start next episode. The Donald Parhum, John new Smith Update,
Jacob Breck tom Off for a Minute's a Steeler Standard
on Steeers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network
The Steelers are the center of the football world's attention.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
The nexus of the universe.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Right now, and football universe. It's really the only story
that matters right now is when's he gonna show up
and who's gonna be the quarterback for the Steelers. There
are other stories that matter, the Browns and their quarterback situation,
what the Cowboys do with Micah Parsons. Just the general.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
I don't know, it's a huge one. Go ahead, Saquon
Barkley on the Madden cover.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Okay, I guess that is kind of a mildly A
mildly it's not general, you know, just predictive nature of
this time of year. This team's gonna do good, this
team's gonna drop off, Like beyond all that stuff. It's Rogers.
It's the Steelers. There's nothing else to really talk about
that could matter than this, and we've talked about it
(00:55):
certainly enough this week. A lot of the episode on Tuesday. Today,
the final day, Thursday, June fifth, of OTA's for the Steelers.
It gets real next week, Mandatory mini camp starts. Still
nothing on Rogers today, probably won't have anything until maybe
early next week, or maybe something moves over the weekend.
(01:16):
I'm in the camp that he will not be at
the Steelers camp though, and that we will continue to
wait TJ. Watt. That's a whole nother story. Will he
show up to mandatory Mini camp or not. I had
Ray fit Apaulo on with the Mark Madden Show earlier
this week, Great Steelers writer for the Post Gazette, and
he said that he fully expects TJ. Watt to be
there at mandatory Mini camp, so we will see how
(01:38):
that shakes out. Those are the two big topics in Steelers.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Sounds like there's a butt coming.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Right because those are the obvious, you know, topics that
matter the most is Rogers and then what's gonna happen
with the TJ. Watt contract? And methinks that we are
going to go through another month of both of those
being topic A for the Pittsburgh Steelers. What is a
guarantee that's not going to happen until training Camp. I
(02:07):
firmly believe that it's going to be the same movie
as three years ago going through that Rogers. Maybe it
does get resolved next week in the time between Mini
Camp wrapping and Training camp starting, or it could very
likely go all the way up into training camp. So
the butt that's coming Jacob is We've talked so much
about those, including in an episode we did earlier this week.
(02:30):
Those two topics that I want to focus on. Another
area of this team that has me just a little nervous,
and it's not the offensive line. I think that is
the obvious point to go to and say, yeah, I'm
nervous about this unit. They need to step up this year.
If they don't progress, then you're not going to necessarily
(02:51):
have one of the worst offensive lines in football, but
you're going to be very worried about the future at
that position with all the capital that you've put into it. No,
my worry today comes on the defensive side of the ball.
Can you guess where it is?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
I guess in the second?
Speaker 1 (03:06):
In the second, are you.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Going specific position or just in general?
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Well, you nailed the position group it is in the
second because there are question marks at both safety and corner.
But I think the more glaring question mark is at corner.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
And because you have you have the for sure thing
in Minka, but he's slowed down.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
And that's what we're going to get to in a
little bit here is because that is an angle to
the secondary is Minca needs to be an all Pro
again and they haven't had that for a couple of
years now from him, so you need to get him
back to form. But that's still Minka Fitzpatrick and Deshaun Elliott.
I mean, that's good.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Has been a huge asset.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
I'm not worried about that. I need more from it,
sure from the Minka side of it, but I'm not
worried about it. Porter and Darius Slag there.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Are question marks for both.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Both of them have question marks for sure. Porter Junior
needs to take a big stride this year to becoming
that superstar level player that it looked like he could
have been and showed flashes of being in his rookie season.
Be a top five corner in the league, a shutdown man,
demand cornerback. And then Darius Slay has the questions about
(04:20):
his age. And that is a position that even though
you can point to last year and say, hey, Darius
Slay was pretty good in Philadelphia, the bottom can fall
out so quickly on a spot like that. It's losing
literally just a half a step and you could be
you could go from being one of the best corners
(04:40):
in the league to being cooked on a relatively frequent basis.
So I look at Darius Slay opposite of Joey Porter Jr.
And I think it's very logical to have some worry
about what he would I'll be able to do at
(05:01):
age thirty four. I mean, that's just when it comes
to a corner and you get to that point in
your career, you have to have some questions and you
have to have some doubts about him. He was really
good last year in Philadelphia. Didn't have an interception, but
he was a very solid contributor to that defense. But
you were able to be really well insulated in that defense,
(05:22):
like Philadelphia was a good spot for an aging corner
to go and have a very graceful end of his
career because you had an elite defensive line, you had
elite linebackers. I mean we're talking first team All Pro,
second team All pros. In both of those levels, you
had better corners than you in the second area as well.
(05:43):
They're both rookies, so I mean it was easier for
Slagh than I think it could be here. Now he's
the number two. Now he is the guy that needs
to step up and be opposite of Joey Porter Junior
and provide the ability for the Steelers to play a
lot of man with Joey Porter Junior strength is and
he can't be a complete weak link when it comes
to that. I'm not saying that it's a foregone conclusion
(06:05):
in my mind that Darius Slay is going to be
bad and that it's gonna be a problem, and that
that t Higgins is gonna just eat him, or honestly,
the Steelers like to do Porter on Higgins, so whoever,
the other going right for teams that have another legitimate
option is gonna have some barbecue chicken when it comes
to Darius Lay all game long. I'm not saying that
that's a guarantee. I think Slay could have a very
(06:27):
good year at an older age, but again, it's just
the fact that it happens so quick at that position
when you go from being playable to I don't know
if I can trust this guy anymore, And it quite
often isn't very gradual, like it's not like, yeah, he
took a slight step back, still serviceable. Like a lot
(06:50):
of times when you get up to thirty four to
thirty five years old at corner, it can go from Yeah,
he's very good, serviceable player too, I don't think he
can play in the NFL anymore like it can change
that quickly. Again, I'm not saying that I am predicting
it to change for Darius Lay. In fact, quite the opposite.
I hope that Joey Porter Junior is like the legitimate
(07:10):
top five type of guy that we've seen flashes of.
I hope Minka comes on, and I hope Deshaun Elliott
plays really strong and then you can kind of get
some of that insulation here in Pittsburgh like he did
back in Philadelphia. If he can be the fourth best
player in that in that defensive backfield, and and I
don't mean that based on everybody stinks and he's the
fourth of the worst.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
I mean everybody everybody is.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
That he just falls into line there and has an
average to adequate season, things are going to be a
okay when it comes to that Steeler secondary. But you
have to just look at the age and you have
to connect the obvious thoughts that it could go wrong there.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
It could, but I think that's playing Devil's advocate right
like you, Like you said, like he worked so well
in Philadelphia last season, because that whole, well, the whole defense,
that eleven guys plus people on the bench are all
very talented in Philadelphia. But I think your point is
your point about if he has Minka, a all pro
(08:04):
capable safety, as his ballhawk as his safety blanket, and
then Deshaun Elliott, who could be as good as a
pro bowler, let's say this season, and then if Joey
Porter Junior returns to what we saw out of him
in his rookie year, the shutdown corner, the CB one
of the league or potential CB one of the league,
(08:24):
like you said, a top five guy, then the weight's
not on him and he doesn't have to be the
Darius Slay not at thirty four, but at twenty eight even,
let's say.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
And Darius Slay has had a very consistently good It's not.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Like he fell off a cliff last year and he
was the fifth reeld last year.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
It's not like he started late in his career, like
was a late bloomer. Like he's just been a very
very good to great sometimes. He's the first team All
Pro in twenty seventeen for the Detroit Lions. He had
eight interceptions that year. Jacob I mean that's led the league.
He's got twenty eight career intersections. Funny enough, last year
with the Eagles was the first year he had not
(09:04):
registered in interceptions since his rookie year in twenty thirteen
with the Detroit Lions, where he only started in four games.
He started in fourteen games for the Eagles last year.
But this is a guy that's not like, you know,
you look at him and you're like, oh, you know what,
he's playing really well as he gets older, he's a
fine line. Or this guy really peaked early, stacked up
his Pro Bowls and All Pros in his early twenties,
(09:24):
and then kind of just has been a steady presence
in the NFL ever since. Like, no, this is Pro Bowl,
All Pro first Team from twenty seventeen on. And I
know he missed the Pro Bowl last year and in
twenty twenty as well, but every year in between that
he's getting at least a Pro Bowl nod. This is
a very very accomplished, well established, not Hall of Fame,
(09:47):
but probably like brushing up on that hall of very
good level player.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
Maybe like a decade.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
I don't know if you're gonna get there's some really
good corners in this decade too. He's just that he
was on championship guys that maybe not the best corner
on his championship team though.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Yeah, I mean the two young guys you can make
the guy the kid, the kid whose birthday was who
had the pick six.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Maybe he just is the perfect case of that guy
that you know. Yeah, he's not a top five corner,
probably never was. Maybe it was once one in that
year when he was first team on Pro but never
really thought of that way in that light. But is
just very good. And like when you bring up like,
hey you got Darius slay and again now that he's
thirty four, it changes a little bit. But back in
the four years years when Philly got him, it was like,
(10:30):
oh we got slave.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
But even so, like last year, like he was still
an integral part of that defensive secondary for Philadelphia.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Now he wasn't very big play slayish last year. No,
but that's one fumble recovery and a forced fumble, so
he did make some splash. But this is a guy
that's consistently had two or three picks a season the
previous couple of years. A couple fumble recoveries along the way,
to he'said. In twenty twenty one, he returned two fumbles
for a touchdown. He had re interceptions in return one
(11:01):
of those for a touchdown, three touchdowns.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
That's probably where he earned the Moniker Big plays.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
He's had that since Detroit. I mean he's he had
a pick six and twenty eighteen for Detroit. He has
had impact, Like I said, yeah, from his second season
in the NFL in twenty fourteen till his tenth or
excuseme me, eleventh season in the NFL last year.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
But again, I don't think anyone in Philadelphia was was
complaining about the play they got out of Darius last year.
It just he may have fallen through the cracks because
you have such a dominant defensive front led by Jalen Carter.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
You have maybe the biggest leap.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Of any defender this year in Zach Bond in the
linebacking unit. And then you have your two rookies, Quinnon
Mitchell and the kid from Iowa, Cooper Dejen, who both
exploded onto the scene, like I said, as rookies. Cooper Dejen,
as rookie, as a twenty two year old on his birthday,
had that pick six in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs.
(11:58):
So playmakers literally all over that defense. And it's okay
if not everyone is making huge plays because you have
you have guys who are playmakers who can compensate for
those guys like Darius Lay who maybe had a down year,
but again we're talking about a down year in terms
of turnover.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
Abilities.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Doesn't mean that his passer reading allow was was significantly
worse than it was.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
In the past.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Darius Slay was a very good player last year, and
you don't need years from him. If you're the Steelers,
you need one more good year from him. You signed
them to a one year deal, Yeah, you need just
one year.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
I think though, like you feel comfortable, comfortable of getting
another year out of him, Like if you see a
good year, maybe say another one year deal.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
I think you would hope at that point that a
Corey Trice might be coming along. O Sure, comfortable, or
you just go into the draft again, maybe free agency
and get a little younger at that sage.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
My concern with that is if we're going to believe
the narrative of you're gonna move up in the draft
get quarterback, you might not have that ability to really
get a guy that can pair alongside Joey Porter Junior,
maybe maybe leap Corey Trice on the depth chart.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
That's why I think maybe free agency is your route
and ar I mean, that's why what they did they
went into and he was like, until someone who has
not signed yet potentially signs, that's your big price free
agent this offseason is signing Darius Slay to the one
year whatever ten million dollar contract DK metcalf I get
(13:29):
is the most money you gave out this offseason. But
that was technically a trade, so I get out of
that on a little technicality there. You know, as far
as pursuing free agents is concerned, I don't think I'm
missing anybody. There's not a blind spot there. Darius Slay
was the big money until you go and you sign
Aaron Rodgers like we all think is going to happen,
and he will most definitely pass the mark that Slay
(13:49):
made for his one year deal. But you only need
the one year out of this guy, and you know that.
I'm happy that they went into free agents see and
spent a legitimate amount of money on getting somebody to
be the starter opposite of Joey, someone that can place
a man has a track record of that in the past,
because I think Joey needs to play man a lot more.
(14:11):
But you know how high was on like a DJ
read this offseason, right. How I wanted to do that
this offseason is to put kind of those chips into
the table. Three four year deal with a younger corner
that's been established in the NFL, And maybe I was
just a year early on that. Maybe you pull the
trigger on that next year because think about some of
the pieces that'll be moving next year. You'll have the
(14:32):
WAT contract already figured out, so you can kind of,
you know, restructure if you need to, or maybe you'll
ease up the cap. In the first couple of years
with the WAT deal, you will have probably Aaron Rodgers
off your books. You will, I know there's still some
debate about one or two years with him.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
I'm gonna guess even if he comes here, it's a
one year.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
So he's off the books and your rookie quarterbacks in
and he's making peanuts compared to what her quarterback usually does.
So your window as far as winning with a young, cheap,
affordable quarterback will officially start to open. And that doesn't
mean that you can win a super Bowl in that window.
It just means that you can do it the most
efficient way in the NFL. Probably the way most GM's
(15:16):
dream about doing it in the NFL is nailing it
in that rookie quarterback contract. So you'll have that that'll
make you cheap. You have a lot of cap space already.
I think that there will be maybe more of a
willingness to push more money towards a longer term deal
at a cornerback who is in his maybe mid to
(15:38):
late twenties as opposed to this year. Because this year,
you know, they're keeping things flexible for them because of Rogers, Yeah,
because of having to sign TJ. Watt to the contract
that's coming up. So I think that even though I
would have loved to see it this offseason, maybe they
prioritize a couple of other things. The best edge rusher
(16:00):
and football and a quarterback is a pretty good thing
to prioritize over that. And they still didn't just skip
over it completely. They still put money towards that position.
Need Slay to play big against opposite of Joey Porter Junior.
But after talking about Darius Slay for the past twelve
minutes or how long it's been I don't want to
kind of excuse what we mentioned at the beginning with
Joey Porter Junior. And although it's important for Slay to
(16:23):
be good to slightly above average and not really be
that week of a link, not show the signs of
completely dropping off, it's just as important, if not more important,
for Joey Porter Junior to take that leap into the superstardom.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
Well we thought there is leap last second season, so
does he have to kind of compensate for that?
Speaker 1 (16:43):
I just have to have a good year. You have
to have a great season. Like you don't have to
have an all world type of season where you have
five interceptions, you return, you don't have to be the
defensive player of the year because you took a little
bit of a step back last year. No over compensation necessary.
You don't even have to make a first or second
team pro There's really great corners in this league. Hell
one just one deepoy and certain in Denver. So, like
(17:06):
I if you are just someone that is in discussion
for that though, and it's just kind of off the
top of your head, Yeah, Joey Porter Junior is that dude?
And you start seeing games where Uh, Jamar Chase's box
score tea. I keep doing that with the Bengals because
it's just such a defunct.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
Well there's so many guys, yeah they can, but see
Higgins is like three catches for fifty yards and then
the next week some guys like four catches for ten yards,
Like that.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Would be Amazingie year.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
It started with that Tennessee game DeAndre Hopkins, who wasn't
in Baltimore, Odell right, and that wasn't even.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
As a starter. He was out there later in a
game and made that interception. And then Kenny Pickett, as
he was somehow able to do quite frequently in his
time here in Pittsburgh, was able to pull one drive
out of his butt, right, like pull one big bomb
that you just want to put the cherry on top
of that. And then the steel to beat the Ravens.
But Joey Porter Junior made the big play. Uh, it
(18:03):
was over. Ravens were gonna kill the Steelers. I don't
mean kill them as far as the scores concerned. That
was the killer, the pun we're gonna and JPJ changed
the game for the Steelers there, So I you know, no.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
I think you're spot on.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
I don't think it's excusable for him to not to
play like last year. Honestly, it needs to be a
step above and I like how he is physical, but
that is something that needs to be fixed big time,
is the grabbiness. But at the same time, you don't
want to take away what makes him great in that physicality,
because I do think that if he can string together
(18:37):
a year here in another year where he is All
Pro caliber, your reputation shifts when it comes to these referees.
Like right now, he's the young player trying to establish himself.
He keeps grabbing these superstar receivers. Who gets the benefit
of the doubt there Like a pitcher who's established going
up against the rookie batter. For you, Yeah, two years
(18:58):
from now, Joey Porter Junior, maybe he's a second team
All Pro in a couple of years. Next year he
has a great season two all of a sudden, it's Oh,
that's Joey Porter Junior going up against this young receiver
trying to establish himself. Hey, young receiver, so you keep
talking about him grabbing you. Welcome to the NFL and
welcome to Joey Porter Junior. You got a lot of
these guys that you're gonna have to, you know, not
(19:18):
need the refs for excuses on every time. So I
think that maybe the perception changes a little bit, but
you got to have really great seasons for that to happen,
or else you're just gonna end up being that average
corner that grabs a lot.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Was it the Cincinnati game, the first one where he
got called like four times?
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Shoot out against Cincinnati instance.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
So that's a good example.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
That's a good example of you're not going to like
that game is a good example of what his role
was within the league at that time.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
He wasn't established.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
He had a good rookie season, but because even leading
up to that game, he wasn't playing at the level
of which he played in his rookie season, he didn't
earn that reputation of, oh, he plays that way, but
he plays that way in a legal sense, in a
fair sense and a and a game allowed sense, And
so maybe half of those calls aren't made, maybe four
(20:10):
becomes two, or maybe four becomes even one. But because
of the overall season that he have, like he's going,
like you said, he's still going to have that reputation
of when a ref sees him going up against some
guy and he sees some hands going up. He's gonna
make the the Gunnington call to throw the flag on
Joey Porter Junior.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
So I agree with you.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
You don't want to teach him to get away from
what he does best was just being physical.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
But you also have to instill in him.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Like, hey, he's got to find a good balance, right.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
You gotta know when to do it and when not
to do it. You gotta know which referee crew calls
this more often than others and to be aware of that.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
Yeah, not just with the referee cru in specific, because
you have more refs called defensive past interference, I'm call
holding more blah blah blah. But just as far as
you being a player, like, don't be like all this
ref I need to be a little less grabby because
this rep CU is a little more on you better.
You just need to be that elite cornerback that we
(21:14):
think you can be because you showed signs of it
in your rookie season and you showed some signs of
it last year as well. So I feel like a
lot of people hearing this episode that we did will
I think I'm very negative on these guys, I'm not.
I am actually optimistic on both of the topics that
we've talked about today. On Darius Slay being able to
push off for at least one more year. Yeah, the
(21:35):
old father time and retirement clock that's ticking down on him.
And I'm extremely confident in Joey Porter Junior being able
to blossom now in his third season in the NFL.
You're a veteran now, I mean, this is no surprises
for you, and you know why. I'm extra confident in
Joey Porter Jr. Money Right time for Joey to start
(21:57):
making the money. This is the third year he's technically
a second round pick, so he doesn't have a fifth
year option that the Steelers can pick up. So the
second last year, you're looking at a contract extension next offseason.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
If you're Joey, you're looking to get that deal done
before your contract expired.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
Don't want to go into that last year. You're kind
of wondering. And I think the Steelers, with the track
record they've had it not only trying to find a corner,
but draft one, especially, if you can just give them
the reason to give you that second contract, they're gonna
be happy. Yeah, so got an in house corner. Now
(22:38):
I haven't had that what since ike, Like probably it's
been a long time since you've grown someone at that
position yourself. The last really good to great corner was
a Cleveland transplant and Joe Hender. So, I mean, this
is an opportunity now for the Steelers to finally kind
of get one right when it comes to the draft
(23:00):
of that position. And I do think they are going
to get that one right. Like I said, I'm very optimistic.
But when money starts to become an issue for these players,
and when it's time to make real generational wealth, you
know what I mean, Like my kids kids are going
to be good now as long as I manage this correctly.
And he will because his dad's Joey Senior and knows
(23:20):
how to do all this stuff, and he's got a
lot of money as well. The porters aren't struggling, let's
put it that way. But now Joey Junior gets the
chance to get his money to be like, hey, I'm
not just you know, I got daddy's dime. I make
myself a nice little nest for my family. It's time
to do that this year. So I know, that there
(23:45):
is a little bit of a skepticism sometimes where it's like, well,
players ball out in the money years and then you know,
they get the contract and they slow down. I'm not
trying to elude that, but I am saying that when
a second round pick, who doesn't have that fifth round
option that was slotted in the second round technically as
far as the rookie contract he signed is concerned, sees
that carrot dangling out in front of him of forty
(24:05):
five million dollars thirty nine million something like that, that
is an unbelievable jump. And I think that Joey is
going to go out put on such a great season
here in year three for him that it's a very
easy decision for the Steelers this offseason two up him.
Speaker 3 (24:27):
Yeah, it's a mutually beneficial thing, right, because the Steelers want,
like you said, want to have that ability to say
that we finally have a homegrown talent at that cornerback
position that we can give it offer a second contract to.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
And Joey Porter Jr. Wants his life to be easy
as well.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
He wants to go out there this season and given
his performance in year three, be guaranteed to say, hey,
I showed that I can be that top ten quarterback
cornerback in the league, and so I put that tape
out there. So now I don't have to enter my
fourth and final year my rookie contract kind of playing
(25:07):
for my life now because I didn't improve it in
year three either.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
And I'm sure, like like you said, the Steelers.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
Want to give it to him too.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
Senior and Junior probably want him to be in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
Wanted to be in Pittsburgh. The Steelers wanted to be
in Pittsburgh. Like for all those reasons I just listed out.
It has nothing to do with the familial stuff. And
he's a Steeler because his dad was a Steeler. They
wanted to be a Steeler because they drafted this guy
with a thirty second overall pick a couple of years ago.
You want to nail that draft pick. You don't want
to have that draft pick be somebody that you have
to now all of a sudden move on from It's
no secret Steelers Nation about the twenty twenty two Steelers
(25:38):
draft class, right, I.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
Mean, everybody's pretty much gone except for past team twenty
twenty two.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
I'm thinking of the Picket year. The Picket draft class
is not a good draft class.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
I mean, you're yeah, but Path.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Was in the nausey draft class. You don't have Picket anymore.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Pickens.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
You don't have pickens anymore. Like your top picks in
just a draft three years ago. This should be their
fourth year as players not very good. So you need
to have a really good draft class in twenty three,
twenty four, and of course in twenty five. We don't
know about any of those yet. Jerry's still out on
all those draft classes. But twenty twenty three, sure is
(26:18):
it's time right to start to kind.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
Of I mean that's why I was still like, I mean, yes,
if Joey Porter Junior doesn't work out, there's question marks
at the top between him.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
And broad Rock.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
But I'm saying, like, for that class, now it's the year, like,
let's find out these guys second contract guys or did
we kind of swing and miss here with their first
two draft picks in that class. I think Joey Porter
Junior is the second contract guy, and I think again
the decision will be made kind of for the Steelers
this season. He's going to have a great year and
they're going to go into next offseason. It might not
(26:50):
happen fast because they like to do things early in
the offseason. I mentioned Ray earlier when he was on
he said that he looked back at this and he'd
only really come up with like two instances where the
Steelers have given out a June contract. Troy Paulamalu was
one way back when he's I think he deserved it,
got that done in camp and then funny enough, Minkea
(27:11):
Fitzpatrick if you remember when he got his extension, was
done at Mini camp right around this time for the Steelers.
So maybe it's just a safety thing that's when they
do it in June. But even if it goes until
training camp of twenty twenty six, for Joey to ink
that new extension, if he has a year that is
really good to great, it's a no brainer like that.
(27:34):
That's just the Steelers going through the emotions of what
they like to do and nothing more than that. There's
no thought thinking behind it. It's not going to break
your bank being a cornerback to it. Just you want
this to be. One of the easier decisions in the
twenty twenty six offseason for the Steelers is extending Porter Junior.
(27:55):
We will get to Minkea Fitzpatrick. When we come back
into the next episode, we'll talk more about the second day,
also look around the NFL, get some NFL stuff that
I want to dive into. And we'll do a little
bitmarking today too. Whoa pick up with tight Ends because
I think it's appropriate with all the tight end kind
of rumors swirling around the Pittsburgh Steelers right now, and
(28:15):
we'll get into that as well. We'll do that to
start next episode. The Donald Parhum, John new Smith Update,
Jacob Breck tom Off for a Minute's a Steeler Standard
on Steeers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network
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