Joey Porter Jr. has delusional take on why he will play for Cowboys without new deal

On the surface, that might be a sensible answer.

Dallas did, after all, trade future second- and sixth-round picks to the Steelers to acquire him. That may not be a ton, but it's not exactly nothing. 

But he still isn't getting what he most wants, which is a new contract extension. The Cowboys are reportedly holding off on a new deal for him and are going to ask him to play out the remainder of his rookie contract and go from there after the season. 

That may not end well for him.

If nothing else, it puts a ton of pressure on him to perform — and perform at a high level without much margin for error. 

It also might result in him getting a franchise-tag tender after the season, which is exactly what the Cowboys did with Porter Jr.'s former Pittsburgh teammate (and now current Dallas teammate), George Pickens, following his big debut season in Dallas. 

He may not like that, either. 

When it comes to value, every team involved here, from the Steelers, to the Cowboys, to the other 30 teams around the league, have made a pretty strong stance on how highly they value Porter Jr. and what he brings to the field. 

That value is as a second-tier cornerback. 

The Steelers didn't want to pay him like a top-tier cornerback. 

Dallas didn't give up multiple first-round picks for him like the Indianapolis Colts did for Sauce Gardner.

They didn't even give up one first-round pick for him like the Los Angeles Rams did for Trent McDuffie.

No other team in the league was apparently willing to give up more than a second-rounder, because you have to assume the Steelers would have accepted that if they were offered one.

The Cowboys are also taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to paying him.

How highly are they really valuing him? It seems more like they are taking a calculated gamble and waiting to see how it works out before doubling down on it. If they ever do. 

It seems more likely that Porter Jr. either simply had hurt feelings after not getting a new deal, or simply didn't want to play in Pittsburgh any longer (either for financial reasons or other reasons). 

He is a good player, but there is still very clearly some debate within the NFL as to how good. His view of himself might be very different from what the league's 32 teams see. That includes the team that just traded for him.