Cam Heyward calls the franchise tag 'stupid' as Steelers near a Joey Porter Jr. deadline

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Cam Heyward is over the franchise tag.

The longtime Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle said Wednesday that the mechanism which lets teams retain control over their players beyond the length of their current contract is “stupid.”

“It hampers players,” the seven-time Pro Bowler said. “Why should any team be able to take advantage of a player for one year?”

The questions came as the Steelers and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. close in on a deadline for getting a new deal done before the season starts. Porter is in the final year of his rookie contract. The club has a longstanding policy of not negotiating once the regular season begins, putting Porter's status somewhat in question ahead of Sunday's visit by Atlanta.

While it's not unusual for talks to drag on, Heyward is less than thrilled with the idea of the Steelers retaining the rights to place the franchise tag on next year if the two sides don't work something out.

Franchise tags are one-year deals in which the designated player is paid the average of the top five salaries at their respective position. The 2026 franchise tag for cornerbacks was just over $21 million.

Teams can exercise their option of using the franchise tag in the middle of July. While it's often used to buy both sides time to iron out a long-term deal, that's not always the case.

The Steelers had former running back Le'Veon Bell work under the franchise tag twice. He excelled the first season in 2017, earning All-Pro honors for a second time. When the team tagged him again in 2018, he sat out the entire year in protest.

“It’s used in negotiations, and I think between the player options, the franchise tags, the way they control rookies, I think it’s kind of backward," Heyward said.

Heyward made it a point to describe the value to Porter to Pittsburgh's defense. The 26-year-old hasn't allowed a touchdown in primary coverage since his rookie season in 2023.

“Joey’s growing in this defense a lot,” Heyward said. “You can look at that Houston (playoff) game and really see how much he’s grown, going after top receivers, following guys. And I just think his best football is ahead of him. And you’re in a division with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins just on one team alone. You got to have guys like Joey to go out there and stop him.”

Porter said last week he was unsure if he would play in the opener if he didn't have a new contract. The Steelers have an “OR” between Porter and Asante Samuel Jr. on the initial depth chart. Porter missed all of training camp with a back injury, and coach Mike McCarthy described Porter as still in “ramp-up” mode on Wednesday.

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