Porter's practice exit turns a contract standoff into an endgame

     Joey Porter Jr. took part in one loose-ball drill Thursday. Then he walked off the field with a Pittsburgh Steelers trainer and did not come back.

    That sequence, reported by ESPN's Brooke Pryor and Steelers Now's Alan Saunders during the window of practice open to media, came hours after head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters the plan for the day was for Porter to increase his workload from Wednesday. The Post-Gazette's Ray Fittipaldo later saw the cornerback leave the team facility. He was not in the locker room when reporters spoke with players afterward.

    The paperwork tells its own story. Wednesday's injury report scrubbed Porter's back injury entirely and listed him as limited for conditioning reasons alone. Thursday's report put the back designation back on, with Porter again limited alongside tackle Troy Fautanu. Receiver Michael Pittman Jr., Cam Heyward and Darnell Washington did not practice.

    Porter has not played a snap this season. He missed the Steelers' 20-13 Week 1 win over Atlanta, sat out most of training camp at St. Vincent College, and has spent the entire buildup in a contract standoff the team has made no secret of. McCarthy himself used the word impasse in August. Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport reported before Week 1 that a trade was on the table.

    At least one team took that seriously. Jeff Risdon reported the Detroit Lions contacted Pittsburgh about Porter, sourced from the Steelers side, while adding he did not know how receptive general manager Omar Khan was or whether an offer was made. Rapoport, appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, named Detroit and Kansas City as the two clubs worth watching — the Lions because they lost Terrion Arnold, the Chiefs because rookie Mansoor Delane hurt his shoulder and Brett Veach is not shy.

    The asking price is where it stalls. John Maakaron of Lions On SI reported Pittsburgh has been interested in as much as two first-round picks, with the believed starting point being a first plus a high day-two selection. Rapoport's read was blunter: the interest at that price has not materialized.

    It is easy to see why, and it has less to do with the picks than with what comes after them.

    Porter is reportedly seeking $30 million per year. In a vacuum that number is no longer absurd. Christian Gonzalez reset the cornerback market at $33.75 million with New England just before Week 1. Devon Witherspoon is at $33 million, Denzel Ward at $31.1 million, Trent McDuffie at $31 million, Sauce Gardner at $30.1 million and Derek Stingley Jr. at $30 million. Six corners are already at or above the figure Porter wants. Four years ago the position topped out at $21 million.

    The question is whether Porter belongs in that room. The coverage numbers say he is close — opposing quarterbacks completed 48.5 percent against him on 66 targets last season for a 57.2 passer rating. The résumé says otherwise. He is a second-round pick without an All-Pro selection, and the men above him on that list mostly have both the pedigree and the hardware.

    So an acquiring team is being asked to give up a first-round pick, extend a player it cannot watch first, and trust a back that has been a question since July. Pittsburgh does not negotiate contracts once the season starts, which means whoever calls Khan effectively signs up for both halves of the deal at once.

    Detroit has the need and the relationships — Lions defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend was a teammate of Porter's father in Pittsburgh — and just cleared immediate room by restructuring Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown. It also has more than $1 billion committed to 10 players with Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch extensions coming. Dan Campbell, asked whether the new space meant a splash, said it gave the team options and little more. One report suggests any Detroit deal would wait until after the Buffalo game.

    Meanwhile, Pittsburgh played zero snaps of man coverage against the Falcons and won anyway, with Asante Samuel Jr., Jamel Dean and Jalen Ramsey outside and T.J. Watt returning an interception for a touchdown. That is a schematic concession dressed up as a solution.

    The Steelers visit New England on Sunday. Watch the game-day designation. If Porter is listed as questionable and then made inactive, the front office is playing the same game he is — and the only thing left to negotiate is the price.