When the Pittsburgh Steelers officially named cornerback Joey Porter Jr. for Thursday night’s big game against the Cleveland Browns, it’s not hard to see where things are headed.
A trade and a split finally seem inevitable.
Now it’s here.
Multiple reports Wednesday night, including NFL insiders Tom Pelissero, Jonathan Jones and Jordan Schultz, had the Steelers and Dallas Cowboys finalizing a deal for the disgruntled cornerback.
The saga of Joey Porter Jr. is finally coming to an end. of the Steelers
The Steelers will reportedly receive a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 conditional sixth-round pick as part of the trade.
Porter Jr. has not played for the Steelers all season, and while “back injury” and “conditioning” are the official reasons, it is almost certainly due to his unhappiness with his contract situation.
Porter Jr. is in the final year of his rookie contract. and did not get a new extension with the team before the season. Because the Steelers famously don’t negotiate contracts with players during the season, reducing everyone’s options, and at some point someone has to blink.
Either the Steelers have to trade him or break their long-standing policy, or Porter has to play.
Soon the Steelers blinked.
Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy is gently putting the pressure on Porter Jr. In the last two weeks, there has been talk of how close he is to playing and it’s all about getting him up to speed. But when he returned on the injury report Wednesday and was ruled out, that seemed to be the line in the sand for the franchise.
Now he is on his way to Dallas.
What’s interesting about it for Porter Jr. is that a new contract is reportedly not on the horizon.
If his issue is money, is he willing to return to the field?
And if he does get back on the field it seems to indicate that he just wants to get away from the Steelers and get a fresh start.
Porter Jr. is a great player, but the jury is still out on how good he is. He had a strong rookie year, regressed in year two and was outstanding in year three. That’s a vast difference in his performance, and any new contract extension worth big money at this point would be a huge gamble that could go either way.
When he decides to start playing, there will be pressure for him to perform. There is also a lot of motivation.
Since Porter Jr. is gone in Pittsburgh, their cornerback room consists of veterans Jamel Dean, Asante Samuel Jr., Brandin Echols, Jalen Ramsey and rookie Daylen Everette. Dean is a big addition in free agency, while Everette is a player they are very high on long-term.