Steelers traded Porter over second-year guarantee stance — SkimNews
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- Pittsburgh Steelers traded cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys, ending a monthslong standoff after Porter sat out training camp and played Sunday for Dallas against the Houston Texans.
- Sources identified the Steelers' general philosophy of avoiding second-year guarantees — a stance shared with Green Bay and Cincinnati — as the main reason the deal collapsed.
- The Steelers' offer to Porter reached $28 million in average annual value with significant injury guarantees, but no full guarantee in Year 2, the specific line Pittsburgh refused to cross.
- T.J. Watt and DK Metcalf (via trade) both received second-year guarantees from Pittsburgh, undercutting the notion that the policy is absolute — yet the Steelers held firm against extending it to Porter.
- Porter preferred long-term security over a large one-year payment and will now finish his rookie deal in Dallas; the Cowboys and Detroit Lions were his top suitors, but Dallas landed him for a future second-round pick, Pittsburgh's only serious offer.
- Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Friday the Cowboys "actually think Joey Porter will get snaps" — Porter carries no injury designation into the Houston matchup.
Why it matters: A $28 million AAV offer wasn't enough to keep a star player because Pittsburgh drew the dispute at the second-year guarantee line — a policy flexible enough to bend for T.J. Watt but not for Porter, costing the Steelers their top cornerback for a single future second-round pick and handing Dallas a proven cover man on a rookie contract.
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