As the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare for mandatory OTAs, two players we are keeping a close eye on are cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and edge Nick Herbig. Both players have far outplayed their rookie contracts and are heading into the final years of their rookie deals, eyeing a massive raise.
The problem with this is the Steelers are currently only sitting on $4.3 million in cap space for this year, and are on track to start 2027 with only $41 million in cap space and multiple in-house free agents.
Meanwhile, the Steelers have edge defender T.J. Watt sitting there with a $42 million cap hit in 2026 and 2027. This is in addition to the $20 million cap hit fellow edge defender Alex Highsmith has. Having both of those guys on the roster makes adding a third massive contract for Herbig highly unlikely, even though Herbig is a future star.
At cornerback, Porter is making just $4.9 million this season, which makes him the fifth highest-paid defensive back on the roster. In particular, the $19.5 million cap hit for Jalen Ramsey limits the Steelers options.
But all of this comes down to the loyalty to Watt. Keeping Watt at 31 years old at the potential expense of Herbig and Porter is a risky move and could set this roster back for years.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Keeping T.J. Watt could cost the Steelers Joey Porter Jr. and Nick Herbig