If the Pittsburgh Steelers and Joey Porter Jr. were at an 'impasse' in August, then they've reached full-blown crisis mode in September. After being optimistic that the two parties could come to an agreement before the start of the season, we're now gearing up for Week 2.
And the latest reports hint at this ending in an ugly breakup.
On Thursday, the Steelers' media were initially optimistic about seeing Porter take the field in pads with his teammates. But after going through one loose-ball drill, the fourth-year cornerback walked off the field with a trainer.
Porter's injury designation had been removed. No longer was he listed with a back injury, but he was listed as 'limited' with 'NIR/Conditioning' (non-injury-related). So why did Porter leave the practice field? Did he want to claim that his back suddenly 'flared up' again?
We all know the real answer. And it's time for the Steelers to finally do something about this distraction.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should trade Joey Porter Jr. before he tanks his value
It's a game of hardball, and no side is willing to cave. While general manager Omar Khan would love nothing more than for Porter to fully commit to this team and sign the contract he was offered, that's not happening at this point.
"I don't know if he ever puts on a Steelers uniform again," one source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN's Brooke Pryor and Jeremy Fowler.
Given how things have escalated, I think it would be unwise for anyone to predict him coming back to the team. Assuming the Steelers aren't willing to break their unwritten rule of not negotiating during the season—and assuming they don't triple the guarantees in a reworked deal—this thing isn't getting done... and it's time to trade Porter before he completely tanks his value.
Porter is about to force Pittsburgh's hand. At any moment, his agent, Andre Odom, could demand a trade. If teams know that Porter is forcing his way out of town, it could drive down his value, knowing that the Steelers need to move him.
Instead, Khan should be working the phones before we get to that point. While there may not be a team out there willing to offer a first-round pick for the talented cornerback, Porter could potentially fetch a second-rounder and change—especially from contending teams with glaring weaknesses in the secondary early in the season.
One rumored trade partner is the Detroit Lions. According to Lions reporter Jeff Ridson, Detroit's front office has already made a call to Pittsburgh.
"The Joey Porter Jr. trade talks: I can tell you that I know that the Lions have approached the Steelers. I don't know how receptive the Steelers were. I don't know what the Lions offered, if anything. I know that they have talked. I got that from a reliable source from the Pittsburgh side."
We've reached the point of no return with Joey Porter Jr. This can either end in a drawn-out struggle, where both sides wind up losers in the end (à la the Le'Veon Bell situation). Or the Steelers can trade Porter now, and both teams can at least get something out of this ugly ordeal.
The choice is finally clear.
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