PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers traded cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys less than 24 hours before their Week 4 matchup against the Cleveland Browns, receiving a 2028 second-round pick and a conditional 2027 sixth-round pick in return and ending a months-long contract saga that had clouded his status.
The move was not unsurprising after Porter's lack of participation throughout the offseason and the first weeks of the regular season. He was often listed as having a back injury, but by the end it seemed obvious that was cover for a contract holdout of sorts. The cornerback market skyrocketed in value this offseason and Porter was undoubtedly seeking a hefty payday following his breakout 2025 campaign, yet Dallas notably did not have an extension agreement in place when it acquired him. The trade came ahead of Pittsburgh's 27-24 loss to the Browns in Cleveland in Week 4, a game in which the Steelers allowed five sacks on Aaron Rodgers.
Pittsburgh is now without a promising young cornerback in a year when the team should be collecting a strong foundation of young players, and the secondary looks thin on talent. At face value, the return did not look like a great haul for the Steelers. Dallas, even without an extension for Porter, can still acquire a 2028 compensatory pick to recoup some of its losses if he departs in free agency.
Still, Porter may have been asking for too much after just one year of high-end play, and there remains a chance Pittsburgh could ultimately win the deal down the road. The immediate aftermath, including the Browns' 27-24 victory over Pittsburgh that dropped the Steelers in the AFC North, left questions about whether the compensation matched the value of a young starter at a premium position.