Porter Trades to Dallas
Pittsburgh Steelers Trade Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to Dallas Cowboys
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The Pittsburgh Steelers traded cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2028 second-round pick and a conditional 2027 sixth-round pick, ending a contract standoff before Porter had played this season. Entering the final year of his rookie deal, Porter reportedly sought a contract near the top of the cornerback market, while Pittsburgh had said it would not negotiate extensions during the season. A lingering back injury and conditioning concerns also kept him out. The trade gives Dallas a high-level starting cornerback and gives Pittsburgh draft picks rather than risking Porter’s departure in free agency, though the delayed compensation and Pittsburgh’s cornerback uncertainty drew criticism. Analysts differed on the return, with some calling it reasonable given the Steelers’ weakened leverage and others criticizing the deal.
Key Points
1
Porter reportedly turned down a Steelers extension worth slightly more than $27 million per year—an amount that would have made him the league’s seventh-highest-paid cornerback—after Christian Gonzalez reset the market at $33.75 million annually.
2
Dallas was seeking a starting-caliber cornerback after its situation with Trevon Diggs faltered and injuries depleted the position group, according to one account of the trade.
3
Porter was selected 32nd overall in 2023 and, through three seasons, recorded 165 combined tackles, three interceptions and 31 passes defended; as a rookie, he played all 17 games and started 11.
4
Former NFL receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh questioned whether Porter was truly injured, saying a source told him, “nothing’s wrong with Joey Porter” and that “the Steelers aren’t letting him” play. The claim was not independently established in the article.
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