The Pittsburgh Steelers spent the entirety of the offseason embroiled in contract drama with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Ultimately, time ran out for Porter Jr. when the season started and once he hit that roadblock, it was just a matter of time until the Steelers dealt Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys.
Former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlintalked about why things went down the way they did and why Pittsburgh sticks to its guns when it comes to contracts.
"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."
Maybe the most interesting part of Tomlin's comments was that even as head coach, he has no authority over this policy and understood this was an ownership move only.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Former Steelers HC explains team policy in Joey Porter Jr. drama
