The Pittsburgh Steelers traded Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys last week after his failed contract negotiations reach a point of no return.
His back injury quickly healed upon the trade as he looks to be a key piece of the Cowboys secondary. This has left Steelers fans frustrated with both the player and the organization.
Breiden Fehoko is an outspoken former Steeler who spent several seasons with the team in a reserve and practice-squad role. He recently appeared on the “Mike Drop” podcast with Mike Asti and cast blame toward ownership for how the Porter situation played out.
Steelers Ownership Stuck to its Process
The Steelers are a family-run organization and the Rooney family usually sticks to its way of doing things, no matter what.
Fehoko called out a few specifics that likely angered Porter.
“I think the first finger I’m pointing is at the Rooney family,” he said. “The reason I do so is because the Steelers are such a traditional organization. And the downside to that tradition is when you don’t want to break out of your old ways.”
One clear example of the Steelers sticking to tradition is not getting reactive with head coaches. The team had a total of three from 1969-2025 until Mike McCarthy took over in 2026. Another example has to do with contract negotiations.
“And when I talk about that, I talk about how they don’t want to do in-season negotiations, they don’t want to guarantee things after the first year,” Fehoko continued. “They’re really relegated to doing, ‘if it’s a three-year deal, it’s a one-year deal. If it’s a two-year deal, it’s a one-year deal. If it’s a four-year extension, it’s a one-year extension.’”
Not including proper guaranteed money is an easy way to turn players away from an organization. The same is true for not conducting negotiations during a season. That eliminates any productive dialogue for a long portion of the calendar.
Steelers May Need to Consider Changes After Trading Joey Porter Jr.
The modern NFL is a much different place than when the Rooneys initially took over. Players have more power, and also expect guaranteed money if they see their counterparts around the league getting such treatment. A lack of guarantees, as Fehoko points out, essentially makes a long-term deal a short-term one.
Porter is at the peak of his abilities and knows an injury could derail his future earning potential if he is on a mostly non-guaranteed deal.
Such an organizational policy works if the team is winning and having constant success. But times are changing and the Steelers are at risk of being left behind if struggles arise and top players don’t want to negotiate with the organization.
Former Steeler Points to Ownership for Joey Porter Jr. Drama