Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin announced the team will not be renewing outside linebackers coach Joey Porter‘s contract, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes. 
“I have informed outside linebackers coach Joey Porter that we will not renew his contract,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement. “These are difficult decisions when it comes to someone like Joey who has meant a lot to this organization as both a player and coach. I want to thank Joey for his coaching efforts over the past five years on our defensive staff. We wish him the best in his future coaching career.”
On the surface, the move seems like an odd one, seeing how the Steelers led the league in sacks in each of the past two seasons and finished third in 2015, Porter’s first year on the job. One possible explanation is the move could’ve come from above Mike Tomlin, with an ownership looking to send a message, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
Florio notes that nowhere in Tomlin’s statement does the coach say that he initiated the move and cites Bruce Arians’ retirement in 2012 as precedent for such a move.
However, Porter has been a distraction off the field during his tenure. In 2017, the former Steelers linebacker was arrested for public drunkenness and assault, but the charges were dropped. In the past postseason, he also got into it with cornerback Adam Jones during a game.
Steelers Tied for the league lead in sacks with 52, yet they fire the OLB coach. I guess it was his idea to guard Keenan Allen with a LB for almost the whole game vs SD. This is really perplexing.
Porter is a mixed bag. Watt developed nicely this season, but Dupree was mediocre again and Jones didn’t progress at all during the two years he played under Porter as OLB coach. I think the whole defensive staff needs to go (except maybe Dunbar) but Porter wasn’t above firing, especially given his history of off the field issues.
When your team leads the league in sacks, the OLB is the last place that should be made example of. Make example of the person that callls all the terrible coverages
Haha ya I love how they “send a message by firing Porter, but keep Tomlin around.
Art Jr is proving to be a joke compared to his predecessors.
Yea… why keep a guy with 124-66 record including a super bowl. Don’t go overboard. A terrible year for him is 9-6-1
THIS ^^^ +999.
9-6-1 when they had 2-100 catch WR, a HOF QB, best O-line in Football & more 1 & 2 round draft picks on the defensive starting line up in NFL
So yes we as fans expected more than 9-6-1 especially when 1 of those wins were to the Pats
I think Tomlin may just b cracking the whip. Getting rid of all distractions this offseason
Yet the biggest distraction, AB, is still on the team? Makes total sense to me.
Getting rid of Joey Porter doesn’t cause a $21 million cap hit. He’s MUCH easier to get rid of than Brown. Not a fair comparison
That cap hit is overrated. Steelers get to carry over the $14 million they got from Bell plus they were already a couple mill under the cap even before that. Also the league has already came out and said the cap is going up $10 million.
Also Pouncey, Ben & a couple other guys are eligible for extensions to lessen their cap hits.
Dupree can be released he deserves it. Burnet as well. And Gilbert for that matter as well.
My theory on absorbing that cap hit would be to trade AB and our 1st round pick to San Fran for their 1st and 2nd round picks. Maybe try to pry more if you can. Than take that 1st round pick and move down in the draft with the Giants do they can get their QB of the future and Steelers can get their 1st this year & next and their 2nd this year and a 3rd next year.
That gives the Steelers a top 10 pick and 3 2nd rounders and 2 3rd rounders for this year. That many players coming in rounds where the player is expected to play a role on the team and all on rookie contracts. Something in that nature of a scenario could help absorb the cap hit.
Didn’t realize players can be traded during the playoffs
Yeah? All those sacks were a major distraction.
He had nothing to do with the sacks. It has to do with the lack of development in Dupree and Jarvis Jones before him. Add in the other negative aspects of his personality and he had to go. Plus his relationship with Tomlin for the team to see him fire him it may get some guys in order for them to see he was willing to fire his partner in crime it may get them to fall in line.
Who was it that got Watt to stop overrunning the ball carrier on running plays? Now he’s actual affective in the running game? Bottom line, OLB is the least of the defensive worries.
No the Defensive ends are the least of the defensive worries. I think Watt is a player but Dupree is terrible and he came in with the raw workout physical specimen that needed to be developed and he hasn’t been
Watt’s whole family is in the NFL you don’t believe pedigree played a part in his development ?
Yet Tomlin remains? That’s confusing.
Great football decisions. The sore spots are special teams, secondary and poor play decisions and time management. Some of that falls on the OC and DC, but all of lands on Tomlin. Yet, all the Steelers will possibly do with Tomlin is not extend his contract.
I am the biggest Tomlin hater there is but with this team where it is they have to ride with him until Ben decides he had enough. This team is to veteran to start over at this point and the window is closing. The key is getting Ben in order and knocked off his pedestal. AB gotta go and Bell gotta go. Steelers still got enough talent but Ben gotta get his ego in check. If it was up to me I would say keep Bell & AB and let Ben go but the reality of the NFL is you need the QB. So they have to make the most out of it until the rebuild begins.
I would hat a guy that has a 124-66 record. You must REALLY hated Cowher, right??
I could care less about regular season records when you are a perennial powerhouse that got to play the Browns twice a year and the Bengals twice a year. That should be 4 wins right there. Throw in the bottom 2 teams of whatever divisions you play and that’s 6. You already know a split with Bmore is now 7. For me that should be 7 automatic wins when you have a HOF QB and a Bell & AB. Now will we get that from those teams every year no but that is what I expect so the regular season means nothing to me. Not rebuilding so I expect playoffs.
Now let’s dig deeper since 2010 they have 3 playoff wins. He has in 12 seasons 8 playoff appearances 4 missed playoff seasons.
8-7 total record
3-6 after 2010
4 times 1 & done in the playoffs 3 of those with home games
He chased out Lebeau which I was ok with at the time because he was coming in as from being a DC that ran a 4-3.
But he also started out as a secondary coach and yet our secondary continuesly has gotten worse. He has not developed nearly as many defensive players as there have been guys who flamed out. But yet his defensive coaches are safe and continuesly replace OC (Arians & Haley)
Also alienated Troy & DeeBo who are legends
Also for years all I ever hear is how Barry Switzer won a SuperBowl with Jimmy Johnson’s guys. But Tomlin d!$& riders never want to say how Tomlin did the same with Cowher’s guys
Cowher only won a super bowl with the same guys. Went 9-7 his final year with basically the same team
Cowher left midway thru that teams window for winning a SuperBowl
And Tomlin took over so you can’t tell me he wasn’t blessed with the situation he found himself in
That team was special it was probably the most unselfish team I ever seen guys policed themselves
Also that was the era of spy gate who knows how much of a part that played in the Pats success compared to the Steelers you could conceivably say that spygate hurt the Steelers more than any team in the Football
That wasn’t Cowher’s fault and if Mancini didn’t let that out the bag they may still be doing it
Mangini
Also Mike McCarthy had damn near the same amount of regular season wins as Tomlin and he was able to lose his job but the cool young Tomlin can’t lose his ?
Also he hasn’t won a challenge since 2016 and refuses to assign a coach to help in booth reviews.
I have not liked Tomlin since the embarrassing Bmore return
How can a head coach ever hold his players to a higher standard or hold his player accountable when they see he did something so classless. Throw in his handling of Porter in the Cincy Pac-Man/Burfict game.
Sorry that I hold my coach to a higher standard
Steelers are known as the class of the NFL but not right now it’s not being shown
And yes I am aware of how Cowher would chew out lesser players and let the better players slide
I am aware of all the AFC title game losses and disappointing seasons
1994 Steelers were the best team in football and the players go out & make a stupid video for the SuperBowl and they wind up losing AFC title game to San Diego. That was my worse season as a fan.
I also remember the drug suspensions of players and Bam Morris.
So Cowher is not immune to my scrutiny.
And there were times I called for his head too especially the loss to Denver in AFC title game but he continuesly got more out of less than Tomlin has
And for the record I am a Tomlin hater but for this group of guys I think he has to be the coach at this point. I believe this team is to veteran to be able to get a new guy in there and live thru the pains of a new system. So Tomlin gotta be the guy for this group of players at this point but until he gets a hold of this locker room it’s only gonna get worse like it gradually has.
Get ahold of this locker room? Other than Brown, who had issues in the locker room this year? Don’t blame it on Bell, because he never stepped foot in the locker room this season. No matter what you say in the novels you wrote, he’s still better than 29 other coaches, despite his shortcomings. Unlike McCarthy, there aren’t any 4-7/7-9 records on his resume.
You don’t agree between AB, Bell & Ben this locker room was pure turmoil and every week Tomlin turned a blind eye to it ?
I never said McCarthy was better or worse than Tomlin that is irrelevant
What I said was if a guy with similar success can lose his job Tomlin should not be Teflon. I am already on record as saying under the circumstances Tomlin is the best guy to lead this era of Steelers with this window but in order for him to be successful with them he needs to get a hold of this locker room which is a fact. Bell, Ben & AB has more than enough distractions this year for the whole organization
Butler IMO gotta go as well. And they gotta do whatever they have to in order to keep Munchak. He is responsible for the Steelers greatest strength the O-Line.
Danny Smith gotta go too. The Special Teams have been horrible for a long time.
Smith is awful, special teams lead the league in penalties just proves lack of discipline. I hope Porter is not the only dismissal. If so, Tomlin is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Butler makes no in game adjustments. It’s like he comes up with a game plan and he stays to it whether it’s working or not. And I am tired of all these combine workout warriors not being able to develop. How on earth can a Tomlin led team Tomlin a coach who got his start as a secondary coach could allow this secondary to be so bad for so long. Stop drafting for potential and start drafting best player available like they always did. In that respect Colbert got to tighten his ship too.
The Steelers need to refresh their defensive strategy completely. Their mostly poor drafting at LB and in the secondary also needs to change, but it’s clear that Butler isn’t the guy. LeBeau had lost his touch by the time he got fired, and it’s not a stretch to say that his influence is part of why their defense has been so ineffective under Butler. Firing position coaches is just dancing around the problem, although the secondary coach needs to go.
Butler’s problem was his reliance on Shazier this is a totally different defense without him and he is clearly irreplaceable. Kinda like Casey Hampton for Lebeau.
Butler can’t make in game adjustments and he can’t develop superior athletes into football players. He really needs to go. Bring in Todd Bowles.
Safeties have limited affect on the game in Butlers defense. They play WAY too deep and conservative and don’t have any profound affect on the game. That’s why they’re always getting beaten over the middle and down the seams.
Dolphins better hire him
This was made 100% from above Tomlin. If you need evidence, search ‘Tomlin Porter high school football’ and read the Deadspin article.
Yes the decision came from above but Tomlin had to be the one to break it to him.
If they were trying to get rid of the biggest distractions they would trade been but we know that is not going to happen. In his career with Pittsburgh he has been nailed for riding a motorcycle without a valid license, sexual misconduct, throwing other players under the bus to the media not to mention pretty much knife thing a B in the back when talking to the media when he’s been his safety net for years.
Yeah so what and?
I feel like this is all about accountability. I have no proof, but I’d guess porter is more of a friend than a coach to these guys
That being said I’ll miss him.