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