The Pittsburgh Steelers ended their lengthy contract standoff with Joey Porter Jr. by trading the cornerback to the Dallas Cowboys, and one Steelers insider believes the explanation behind the move could be relatively simple.

Pittsburgh agreed to send Porter to Dallas in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick. The deal came after the Steelers and Porter failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension as he entered the final season of his rookie deal.

Mark Kaboly, Steelers correspondent for “The Pat McAfee Show,” offered his bottom line on the situation Thursday via X, formerly known as Twitter.

“People love to pick sides and place blame somewhere. Maybe it is as simple as the Steelers didn't think JPJ was worth what he wanted and vice versa. It really could be that basic,” Kaboly wrote.

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Porter had not appeared in a game for Pittsburgh through the first three weeks of the season. The 26-year-old dealt with a back injury throughout training camp and had also appeared on the injury report with conditioning designations. Pittsburgh ruled him out for Thursday's matchup against Cleveland before completing the trade.

The former Penn State standout spent his first three NFL seasons with Pittsburgh after the organization selected him No. 32 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Porter appeared in 47 games with 41 starts, recording 165 tackles, 31 passes defensed and three interceptions during his Steelers career.

Pittsburgh will now move forward without Porter as it prepares for an AFC North matchup against the Cleveland Browns.

The Steelers enter Week 4 at 2-1 after earning a 30-27 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3. Pittsburgh will face the 2-1 Browns on Thursday Night Football at 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video.