The Cardinals have placed Joey Porter on injured reserve, ending his 2011 season. The move may also mean Porter has played the last game of his NFL career.
Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic reports that Porter’s career is most likely over.
The 34-year-old Porter was a starter for the Cardinals’ first six games this season, but a knee injury has kept him out of the lineup, and even if he had recovered from the knee injury he wouldn’t have played because he had been surpassed on the depth chart by rookie Sam Acho.
Although Porter’s time in Arizona has to be viewed as a disappointment, considering what the team expected when it signed him to a free-agent contract in 2010, he was one of the best outside linebackers in the league when he was at his best, with the Steelers and Dolphins.
Porter played for the Steelers from 1999 to 2006 and the Dolphins from 2007 to 2009 before signing with the Cardinals. He made four Pro Bowls, recorded 98 career sacks, and was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team.