The Pittsburgh Steelers will trade Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for Dallas’ 6th round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft and their 2nd Round Pick in the 2028 NFL Draft.
The move, while hardly surprising, remains incredibly disappointing.
Joey Porter Jr.’s Steelers journey comes full circle, to a bitter end. Photo Credits: G. N. Lowrance, Getty Images; Houston Chronicle
How should Steelers fans make sense of this? In this case, three simple words we all learned as young children suffice:
What a shame.
Yes, it is a real shame for the organization, for Joey Porter Jr., for the fans, for everyone.
- The Steelers defense clearly needs Porter: Now they won’t have him.
- Joey Porter Jr. wanted a long term deal: Now he’ll play in Dallas, without one.
No matter how you slice it, no matter whose side you’re on, regardless of who you consider to be “at fault,” this situation has ended badly.
A narrative that was shaping up to be something that Disney itself couldn’t have scripted better has instead taken on the feel of a poorly executed B-level reboot of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
One of the enduring images from Super Bowl XL is that of Joey Porter Jr. sitting on the arm of his father Joey Porter Sr. That’s where Joey Porter Jr.’s story with the Pittsburgh Steelers began.
But its roots run far deeper. Porter worked as a ballboy. Apparently he drilled, at some level, against Antonio Brown in training camp. He played in school with Mike Tomlin’s kids. He went to Penn State. He was drafted with the 32nd pick, a second rounder that Omar Khan had swindled out of Chicago in the Chase Claypool trade.
Arriving in Pittsburgh, he took on Number 24, the number worn by “Uncle Ike,” or Ike Taylor who made the game-changing play in Super Bowl XL.
Porter’s first interception came courtesy of Lamar Jackson, in the end zone no less, and sparked an improbable comeback victory over the Ravens. (Yes, Kenny Pickett left Pittsburgh and remains “undefeated” against Lamar Jackson – there’s a factoid to stock up on for Final Jeopardy.)
Joey Porter Jr. gets his first interception. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review
Porter had a strong rookie year. It is probably fair to say that he didn’t quite make the proverbial “second year leap” in 2024. But it is even more accurate to say that he did make a significant leap in year 3. No, Porter hadn’t established himself as a true, “shut down corner” but he was heading in that trajectory.
- For the Steelers, this was a dream come true.
When you think of defensive backs drafted by the Steelers in this century, names like Troy Polamalu, Ike Taylor and maybe even Big Play Willie Gay come to mind. So they should.
But other monikers, we forget. Names like Hank Poteat, Ricardo Colclough, Cortez Allen, Shamarko Thomas, Senquez Golson and Terrell Edmunds.
Joey Porter Jr. was the antidote to those misses. Finally, after so many misfires, the Steelers had drafted and developed a cornerback and were about to see him bud into his prime.
Alas, that’s all been reduced to a 6th round pick next spring and a 2nd found pick two springs after that.
Who to Blame for the Joey Porter Jr. Fiasco?
Focusing on blame is something I try to avoid going through life. It is seldom productive and often a corrosive endeavor. But the Joey Porter Jr. fiasco did not need to end this way.
- As with most situations, both sides share responsibility.
For their part, the Steelers never should have declared him injured if he in fact was healthy. If Mike McCarthy wanted to end the policy of allowing “hold ins” – as is his right as head coach – that should have been crystal clear from the beginning.
But the lion’s share of the responsibly falls on Joey Porter Jr.’s shoulders.
- By all accounts, the Steelers made him a fair offer.
- If Joey Porter Jr. didn’t want to accept it and bet on himself, he had the right.
But then he needed to follow through and prove that he deserved to be paid what he thought he was worth by playing through the final year of his contract.
- That’s how the dynamic of negotiations with 3rd year players works.
The team offers him a deal, usually a little less than the player would command on the open market, and the player gets his money a year earlier and reduces his injury risk.
Most often it works out as a win-win situation – see Hines Ward whom the Steelers re-signed before the 2001 season. Other times, it backfires on the team – see Cortez Allen’s second contract.
Hines Ward flexes his muscles in the playoffs against the Ravens. The Steelers were back!. Photo Credit: Steelers.com
If Porter was dead set on opting out of this dynamic, only playing if and when he got a new contract, they he should have stated that from the get-go.
Instead, he feigned injury, as confirmed by is comments that he hopes to suit up for the Cowboys this Sunday.
That’s the adult equivalent of shaking the thermometer to make it look like you’ve got a fever of 99 degrees so that mom will let you stay home from school on Friday, and then turning around and saying “Hey mom, I’m feeling better. Can I go to the dance tonight?”
In the end, the Steelers really are accepting the short end of the stick by taking a 2nd-round 2028 and a 6th-round 2027 in exchange for Porter.
But moving on from Porter is the best choice they could make at this point, even if it is a bad one. It is far, far better than watching Art Rooney II becoming the NFL equivalent of Ferris Bueller’s nemesis Edward “Ed” Rooney.
What a shame.
