Pittsburgh Steelers star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is heading to the Dallas Cowboys in a trade.
Pittsburgh Steelers star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is heading to the Dallas Cowboys for a second-round pick and a conditional sixth-round pick.
Porter has not played this season due to a lingering back issue, while he has also been seeking a long-term contract extension. The 26-year-old is in the final year of his rookie contract and is looking for a deal that would make him one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the league.
That would've put the Steelers at a deal around $30-33 million per year, as Seattle Seahawks star cornerback Devon Witherspoon signed a new deal worth $33 million per year and New England Patriots star cornerback Christian Gonzalez inked a deal worth $33.75 million per year.
With Porter gone, Pittsburgh's secondary won't be as strong, especially with Jalen Ramsey dealing with a broken wrist he suffered in Week 3. Despite the injury, Ramsey played through the remainder of the game, but he is questionable for their Week 4 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
The Steelers defense has been solid in the first four weeks of the season without Porter, allowing 13 points to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1, 20 to the Patriots in Week 2, and 27 to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectPittsburgh still has a solid secondary with Porter on the way out, as they have Ramsey, Jamel Dean, Asante Samuel Jr., and others.
Trading Porter gives the Steelers more cap flexibility in the future, as they could reallocate the money they may have given him to extend other players or be more aggressive in free agency or in trades.
Pittsburgh is off to a 2-1 start to the 2026 season and is proving that they could be a threat to win the AFC North for a second straight season. There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Steelers heading into the season under new head coach Mike McCarthy.
McCarthy has demonstrated that his experience over his career, including time with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, is valuable and helps Pittsburgh compete.
Although the Steelers are in a playoff window and are trading away one of their best defensive players, they have shown they can win games without him. If a contract resolution wasn't going to be reached with Porter, moving him for quality draft capital from Dallas is a solid deal rather than losing him for nothing in free agency.
