Steelers' Joey Porter Jr Could Be Costing Himself Millions Of Dollars With Harmful Antics

The Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping to get cornerback Joey Porter Jr. back for their Week 2 game against the New England Patriots. Head Coach Mike McCarthy claimed that he was held out of the previous contest due to him being in the "ramp-up" period of injury recovery, but many people don't exactly believe that. Even if he does practice starting Wednesday, there will be questions about whether he will continue to hold out of games or not until kickoff, when everyone will see if he is actually on the field with his pads on or not. 

Trade rumors have been swirling in recent weeks, as the Steelers won't be able to keep Porter around if he truly is holding out. However, these contract negotiations and possible holdout has completely flipped his reputation, as he went from being seen as a no-nonsense team player to a selfish player and a distraction that only cares about money, even if that is not who he is.

That reputation could hurt his own case if this holdout is real. In his weekly Q&A chat, Gerry Dulac explained what's going on with Porter from a league-wide standpoint.

"They will not continue to keep putting him on the injury list if he says his back is bothering him," Dulac said. "Plus, keep in mind, other teams are watching this behavior too. That doesn't help his market value, at least, the value he thinks he is worth, which is why he is in this predicament to begin with."

Even if Porter gets traded away, it's hard to imagine that he makes what he thinks he is worth. He is a great cornerback who deserves to have plenty of financial security from a team, but this whole debacle is getting out of hand. As cruel and unfair as it is, teams will have no problems labeling players as "character concerns" any chance they get to lower their value, even with professional players.

Reportedly, Porter was fine with the money that was offered to him. It was just the lack of guarantees that upset him, which is why we're talking about this potential holdout in the first place. He supposedly wants about $100 million in guaranteed money, which is far away from what Pittsburgh offered. That's usually a major hurdle when negotiating with the Steelers, and that proves to be the case yet again. 

Now that the NFL sees Porter as more of a "character concern," there may not be a team out there that is willing to give him all the guarantees he wants. Even if an organization trades for him, it could end up signing him to a deal where less than two full years get guaranteed at signing. The former second-round pick could end up getting lower total offers as well due to everything that has gone on over the last two months.

Steelers May Have Successfully Backed Porter Into A Corner

It's true that Porter deserves to be a well-paid cornerback for how great he is on the field. However, holding out and demanding a trade won't actually help his case. It's unfair that he has to play out his final year, but that is now the best-case scenario for him. If he does suit up for Week 2 and beyond, it will be easier for McCarthy's injury excuse to be taken to heart around the league, which could help erase these "character concerns."

If the Steelers try to cheap out on a new contract in 2027, then he can demand a trade. In this situation, he did what the team brass asked of him, and he still got low-balled. That makes it easier for teams to give up quality assets to acquire the star cornerback and be more willing to meet his demands. He should have been paid a month ago, but now that is just part of the past.

What do you think about Porter hurting his own value? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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