Steelers' Unbreakable Contract Rule Forced the Joey Porter Jr. Trade, Ex-Steelers Reveal

The real reason the Pittsburgh Steelers traded cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys had nothing to do with how much money he wanted. It was about when the money would be locked in. Former Steelers linebackers Arthur Moats and Terence Garvin broke down the negotiations on Moats' podcast, explaining that Porter was not holding out for a massive average annual salary. Instead, the sticking point was a demand for guaranteed money in the second year of an extension — a concession Pittsburgh's front office almost never makes. According to Moats, the franchise has broken that principle only twice in its entire history, for players viewed as the best at their positions in the world: T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick. Porter, talented as he is, did not meet that bar in the team's eyes, and the organization held its ground. Garvin described the split perspectives: Porter feeling undervalued, while the older guard recognized the business side of an institution that protects its precedent. With neither side willing to blink, general manager Omar Khan ultimately chose policy over player and pulled the trigger on the trade, sending Porter to Dallas where he has already made his Cowboys debut.