After months of a contract saga that slowly looked worse and worse for the Steelers, cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was traded to the Cowboys less than 24 hours before Pittsburgh’s Week 4 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
The outcome was’t unsurprising following Porter’s lack of participation with the team throughout the offseason and during the first few weeks of regular season play. He was often listed as having a back injury, but by the end it seemed obvious that it was a cover for a contract holdout of sorts.
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The cornerback market skyrocketed in value this offseason, and Porter was undoubtedly looking for a hefty payday following his breakout 2025 campaign — and he still might not get that deal from the Cowboys, who notably did not have an extension agreement in place when they traded for Porter.
Still, the Steelers are now without a promising cornerback in a year where the team clearly should be trying to collect a strong foundation of young players — and Pittsburgh looks thin when it comes to talent in the secondary, as well. Was the 2028 second-round pick and conditional 2027 sixth really a fair price to get in return?
At face value, this didn’t look like a great trade for the Steelers. And Dallas, even if it doesn’t agree to an extension with Porter, can still acquire a 2028 compensatory pick to recoup some of its losses. Still, Porter might’ve been asking for too much contract-wise after just one year of high-end play. Right now, it doesn’t look likely, but there’s still a chance the Steelers could “win” this trade down the road.
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