Joey Porter Jr. insists recent absence is not contract related

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is getting a lesson in the dangers of being the person that cries wolf. 

After missing his team's Week 9 game against the Indianapolis Colts with a foot injury, Porter Jr. has remained out of practice this week and remains uncertain for the team's game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. 

His absence has stirred up speculation that perhaps he is making a business-decision to risk further injury as he approaches unrestricted free agency. 

He is tired of hearing that speculation and tried to clear the air on Thursday, insisting that his absence is purely injury related. 

Even if that is true, he has nobody to blame but himself for why people might be skeptical. 

Joey Porter Jr. is dealing with the consequences of his previous actions

Porter Jr. addressed the skepticism on Thursday, insisting he is really injured and that his only desire is to play and win football games.

From ESPN:

"I don't even know where that narrative come from," Porter said. "I get it. It's the internet, but I really don't pay no attention to that or really care for that. My goal is to win games and play football, and that's what I want to do. So if there's any chance I could get on the field, I'm going to get on the field and do what I do best."

He added that his entire foot is "jacked up," and that he needs to be able to run and jump at maximum ability due to the position he plays and how he has to cover the best athletes on the field every week. 

The issue for Porter Jr. when it comes to the perception for why he's out of the lineup goes back to his exit from the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He missed all off training camp, the preseason, and sat out the first two games of the regular season due to a reported back injury that was not making any progress.

It was obvious at the time that Porter Jr. was upset about the lack of a contract extension with the Steelers, especially as several teammates from his own draft class were given long-term deals. 

He would do some individual work. He would do limited team drills. But when it came time for the games he was not available. 

The whole saga eventually resulted in him being traded to the Cowboys for a draft pick just before the Steelers' Week 4 game against the Cleveland Browns. Immediately after he was traded, he returned to full practices and played in his first game with the Cowboys.

Since playing in that game he missed one game due to illness, played in four games, missed last week's game, and is uncertain for this week's game. 

He is an unrestricted free agent after this season, and Dallas made it pretty clear it was not going to sign him to a contract extension during the season. On one hand, he needs to play and play well to get himself the big-money contract he has been seeking. On the other hand, if he plays through an injury and misses extensive time it could hurt his value on the open market. 

He seems to be legitimately injured, and had at least been playing in games prior to Week 9 against the Colts. But once you take yourself out of the lineup the way he did to open the season in Pittsburgh, you're never going to convince the court of public opinion that the next injury is legitimate. That's the bed he made for himself, and now he has to lay in it.