Joey Porter Jr.'s Comments About Cowboys Debut Will No Doubt Frustrate Steelers

Before his trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Dallas Cowboys last week, there was no shortage of controversy surrounding cornerback Joey Porter Jr.

Porter sat out training camp on the PUP list with a supposed back injury. He was activated before the cutdown deadline, but he did not play over the first three games, at least in part because of, again, a supposed back injury.

However, upon being traded to the Cowboys, that back injury was miraculously gone, as Porter wasn't even on the injury report for Dallas this past week. He was, however, on Pittsburgh's before being traded.

In all seriousness, it's quite clear at this point that Porter's back injury was not the cause of his absence over Pittsburgh's first three games and the inability to get a contract extension was.

Porter's comments will frustrate Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy. — Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 3 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

After his Cowboys debut on Sunday, Porter said it "took a lot" to get ready to play on Sunday after he only had days to prepare following the trade.

But Porter was extra motivated to get ready to go because, as he says, he wanted "to be out there with my guys."

“It took a lot,” Porter said, according to Joseph Hoyt of The Dallas Morning News. “But I’m a dog at the end of the day. And I want to be out there with my guys, so I had to prove why they got me here, and I felt like I did that today.”

The Steelers and their fans are not going to enjoy reading that. After all, clearly Porter was much more motivated to "be out there with my guys" in Dallas than he was in Pittsburgh.

Porter changes tune on contract extension

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) laughs on the sideline while watching a practice session at Saint Vincent College. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What will be even more frustrating for the Steelers and their fans to hear is the fact that Porter is going to play for the Cowboys for the rest of this season without a new contract, something he obviously wasn't willing to do in Pittsburgh.

“Bet on myself. You got to always have that at the end of the day, and that’s what I’m doing,” Porter said in the lead up to Week 4.

The Steelers were certainly in no position to trade Porter. He was a big piece of their defense and Pittsburgh does not have an in-house solution to replace a No. 1 cornerback.

But Porter really left the Steelers no choice, as they didn't want to pay him what he wanted and he just wasn't going to play for them without a new contract.

“Definitely. It was a hard process," Porter said of contract talks. "A lot of ups and downs. Definitely felt disrespected. Definitely felt undervalued. But that’s old news now.”

As a result of everything that has transpired, from Porter's holdout to his comments since joining the Cowboys, he will no doubt be public enemy No. 1 in Pittsburgh for a long time to come.

And his dad, former Steelers linebacker Joey Porter Sr., isn't exactly endearing himself to his old fan base, either, as Porter blames the Steelers and not his son for how things ended.

When it comes to Porter's performance in his Cowboys debut, he did exactly what Dallas acquired him to do. Porter completely shut down one side of the field, as he was only targeted once and did not allow a completion in 19 coverage snaps, five of which came against Houston's No. 1 recevier, Nico Collins.

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