Joey Porter Jr.’s time at Pittsburgh had reached an uncomfortable point, but what happened behind closed doors may have made the situation even more bitter. A number attached to a contract can make an offer look impressive from the outside. Yet once the guarantees and incentives entered the picture, the same number became an entirely different story.
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Now, former Steelers player Breiden Fehoko is taking Porter’s side, noting what happened was a sign of disrespect for the young QB.
Breiden Fehoko, a former Steelers player, posted on X, “There you have it. You tell me how disrespectful it is to be offered a 4-year extension with only 1 year guaranteed. Not only that, the 28 million has to be hit through incentives. This is so disrespectful.”
After months of standoff, the Pittsburgh Steelers traded Porter to Dallas, citing the team’s philosophy of avoiding second-year guarantees. ESPN reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers offered him $28 million in average annual value.
The deal included injury guarantees, but nothing was fully guaranteed in the second year. And that is what frustrated Fehoko. However, ESPN’s reports did not confirm Fehoko’s claim that the $28 million depended on incentives.
Porter entered the season in the final year of his rookie contract after becoming one of Pittsburgh’s most important cornerbacks. He started 41 games in his first three seasons and recorded 52 tackles in 2025, 14 passes defended, a sack and an interception while playing 94% of the Steelers’ defensive snaps.
The contract standoff became more significant as the cornerback market continued to rise. Other stars from Porter’s draft class received major extensions, increasing the pressure on Pittsburgh to determine where its own defensive cornerback fits financially.
Yet the Steelers maintained the longstanding philosophy about their contract guarantees. Pittsburgh has traditionally been reluctant to provide substantial guaranteed money beyond the first year of a contract, a policy that has repeatedly influenced negotiations.
Porter opened up after the trade to the Dallas Cowboys, admitting that he felt “disrespected” and “undervalued” during the negotiations. He also explained that Dallas made him feel more valued, even though the Cowboys had not immediately given him the long-term extension he wanted.
“Definitely, definitely. It was a hard process, with a lot of ups and downs. Definitely felt disrespected. Definitely felt undervalued. But that’s old news now.”
The Steelers eventually traded Porter to Dallas for a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-round selection, ending a relationship that became very complicated.
Now, Fehoko’s argument is not that $28 million is insignificant but that attaching the majority of that money to incentives while guaranteeing only one season changes the value of the proposal.
For a player Pittsburgh once viewed as anchoring its secondary, that structure may have sent a message louder than the dollar figure itself. With Porter now wearing Cowboys colors, the Steelers will have to live with the consequences of that valuation.