Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. during a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 13, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
NBA legend Charles Barkley had some choice words for former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. during an appearance on BetMGM GameDay. Barkley believes Porter quit on the Steelers.
“Well, you can’t ever quit on your team,” Barkley said. “I know we all want trades. We all have contract situations, but your obligation is to the players in that locker room. Listen, the fans are great. The owners, they are what they are, they’re businessmen. But you never quit on your teammates.”
Barkley also ripped Porter for claiming to have a back injury. Porter suited up for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, so the injury he’s supposedly been dealing with since the start of training camp must have miraculously healed.
“Obviously, something was going on,” Barkley said. “Between Pittsburgh and Dallas, he got really dang healthy quickly, didn’t he? They must’ve been serving some good stuff on that airline. I truly believe — I’ve been in really bad situations before, my last three or four years in Philly, to be honest with you, were brutal. You get dressed with those guys. You’re on the plane with those guys. You’re on the buses and things. I would’ve handled it differently.”
Porter’s Steelers teammates have been supportive of him, however. Patrick Queen told the Amazon Prime broadcast team that he was proud of Porter for standing his ground and not caving in during contract negotiations with the front office. Jalen Ramsey, who’s a close friend of Porter, has also been in his corner since Day 1. Ramsey publicly called for the Steelers to pay Porter.
Times have certainly changed since Barkley’s legendary NBA career. No one on the Steelers has indicated that Porter leaving was a slap in the face to the team. At least not publicly. It’s been viewed as just a business decision.
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. throws a football while not dressed for practice on July 29, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The Steelers were expecting Porter to play on Thursday night against the Cleveland Browns, but after two days without an issue, Porter said his back flared up. He was ruled out for the game. That’s when the Steelers had enough and shipped Porter to Dallas late Wednesday night in exchange for a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-rounder.
Porter revealed in his introductory press conference with the Cowboys that he felt disrespected during the negotiation process with the Steelers.
Porter, who’s in the final year of his rookie deal, was seeking a new contract with the Steelers. But the two sides could not iron out a deal.
“Definitely, definitely. It was a hard process, a lot of ups and down. Definitely felt disrespected and undervalued,” Porter said. “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.”
Porter feels the Cowboys are showing him more value than the Steelers did.
“It was the value. I didn’t feel like it was really that over there,” Porter said. “[Dallas] is showing me that they value me more over here. That’s really all I need to show what I can do.”
Mentioned In This Article:Charles Barkley Joey Porter Jr. Pittsburgh Steelers Steelers Steelers News