Joey Porter Sr. Takes Shot at Steelers While Celebrating Joey Porter Jr.'s Cowboys Debut

The Dallas Cowboys' Week 4 game against the Houston Texans was also the debut of Joey Porter Jr., who was playing his first game with the team, and the his first game of the season.

Porter didn't play over the first three games of the 2026 season because he was supposedly hurt, but at this point we know he didn't play because he was seeking a new contract.

However, apparently his dad, Steelers great Joey Porter Sr. does not blame his son at all for what transpired. Instead, Porter Sr. blames the Steelers for the contract standoff with his son.

We know that because Porter Sr. recorded a video while attending his son's first game with Dallas, and in the video he accuses the Steelers of trying to "take me away from football."

"Forgot what it's like walking through a hostile environment on game day," Porter Sr. said as he navigated Reliant Stadium, the home of Dallas' Week 4 opponent, the Texans.

"(The Steelers) tried to take me away from football for four weeks," Porter added. "I forgot what it feel like. I forgot how intense it gets. It feel like I'm back at home. Walking into a hostile environment. Football is back."

"They held us down for three weeks, they couldn't hold us down no longer. Football is back. Love Sundays."

Porter didn't go to games while his son was locked in a contract standoff with the Steelers, so that's what he means when he says the Steelers "tried to take me away from football."

Porter Sr. obviously blames the Steelers for that standoff that led to Porter Jr. not playing.

The source of that feeling likely comes from the fact that Porter Sr. believes Pittsburgh didn't offer a good enough contract otherwise Porter Jr. would have been playing.

What was that offer, you ask? Well, ESPN's Ian Rapoport reported that the Steelers' offer reached $28 million annually, which would rank seventh among cornerbacks.

Was that a fair offer? That's really up for debate and depends upon how you view Porter Jr. Clearly, his father thinks he's worth more than that.

A great first impression

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. watches the action during a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Speaking of Porter Jr.'s debut, the former second-round pick had a good one. He played 24 snaps in total, with 19 of those coming in coverage. Porter was only targeted once and did not allow a reception on that target, per Next Gen Stats.

Porter was matched up against Houston's top wideout, Nico Collins, a total of five times but nothing was thrown at Porter.

Christian Parker called Porter Jr. a "boundary eraser" and we saw every bit of that quality on Sunday. Porter Jr. erased an entire side of the field with the Texans having no interest in throwing at him and instead opting to go after DaRon Bland.

Now, the Cowboys just have to figure out a better option than Bland for a side that figures to be very active moving forward if Porter is able to keep doing what he did in Week 4.

Hopefully that option will be Cobie Bryant when he returns, as he has been Dallas' best cornerback. Even Shavon Revel would be welcomed. But it just can't be Bland, who continues to be a massive liability.

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