Cowboys’ Joey Porter Jr. breaks silence on chatter that absence is contract related

FRISCO, Texas — Every game Dallas Cowboys Joey Porter Jr. misses in 2026 will come with scrutiny.

Dallas acquired him via trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers after the pending free agent felt "disrespected" in contract extension talks. Porter Jr. led the NFL in passer rating against as the primary defender in coverage in 2025, among 128 players with at least 60 pass attempts thrown their way per TruMedia, with a 49.1 passer rating allowed. Since becoming a Cowboy, Porter Jr. has played in four of a possible six games. He missed what would have been his AT&T Stadium debut in Week 5 on "Thursday Night Football" against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because of a stomach bug. Porter Jr. (ankle) also didn't suit up in Week 9 at the Indianapolis Colts.

Porter Jr. made it clear that his current issue is health-related, not contract-related. There's nothing extra to it.

"That has no, I don't even know where that narrative comes from. I get it, it's the internet. I don't really pay attention to that. I don't really care for that," Porter Jr. said after practice on Thursday. "My goal is to win games and play football. That's what I want to…

Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/