Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was at the movies, watching Brad Pitt’s Heart of the Beast, Wednesday night when he learned the Steelers had traded him to the Cowboys. The smile didn’t leave his face.
He had a sleepless night, arriving in time to practice with his new team on Thursday.
“Man, I was excited,” Porter said, via Patrik Walker on the team’s website. “I’m not even going to lie. I was actually at the theater when I got the call, so I had to leave the theater and go home, but I’m lucky. I’m excited. I called my people and they were excited for me. New chapter, new start, and I’m ready.”
Porter did not play for the Steelers this season after not getting the contract extension he wanted. The Cowboys traded him without a long-term deal, but Porter said he would play in Dallas without a new deal.
“It was the price,” Porter explained, via Nick Harris of Fort Worth Star Telegram. “I didn’t feel like it was really like that there (in Pittsburgh). (Dallas) is showing me that they appreciate me more here. That’s really all I need to show what I can do.”
He is in the final year of his contract and earns a base salary of $3.92 million. (The Cowboys will inherit the balance of $3.052 million, and don’t plan to give him an extension during the season, reports Todd Archer of ESPN.)
Porter said he felt the Steelers disrespected him during negotiations.
“Definitely, definitely,” Porter said. “It was a difficult process, a lot of ups and downs. I definitely felt disrespected and undervalued. But it’s old news now. That’s how I see it. I’m on new beginnings and new chapters. That’s how I see things.”
The Steelers had ruled Porter out for Thursday Night Football, but he could play for the Cowboys on Sunday against the Texans.
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