“The Steelers have had a longtime organizational philosophy that they’re no longer negotiating contracts once the season starts,” Tomlin explained. “Why do they do it? Because they want to minimize distractions. They want to keep the main thing the main thing, and so certain times it makes life difficult for them, particularly in today’s game. What transpired with Joey Porter Jr. is an example of that.
“I certainly wasn’t a part of the discussions and didn’t understand the variables in the discussion. But I knew once that ball got kicked off Week 1, business was over. That’s a hill that they’re willing to die on as an organization.”