The Dallas Cowboys got the better end of the Joey Porter Jr. trade, and it is not especially close. Dallas gets a 26-year-old starting cornerback. Pittsburgh gets picks that do not arrive for years.
The deal came together on Oct. 1, reported first by The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero and confirmed by NFL Network’s Jane Slater. The Steelers sent Porter to Dallas for a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick.
How a standoff ended
Porter was the 32nd overall pick in 2023 and is in the last year of his rookie contract. He wanted an extension, and ESPN reported the sides never made meaningful progress, with guaranteed money the sticking point.
Head coach Mike McCarthy described the situation as “an impasse,” and general manager Omar Khan said there would be no negotiations during the season. Porter started camp on the physically unable to perform list with a back injury and then missed games for reasons listed as “not injury related/conditioning/back.”
ESPN also reported Porter is willing to play without an extension because the Cowboys were the team he most wanted to land with.
Why Dallas wins
Porter has 41 starts in three seasons, with 165 tackles, 31 pass breakups and three interceptions. Cornerbacks with that résumé do not usually come this cheap. A second-rounder two drafts from now, plus a sixth, is a modest price for a starter.
The contract risk belongs to Dallas, but it is manageable. The Cowboys can try to extend him, or let him walk and potentially recoup a compensatory pick, as Sports Illustrated noted. Either outcome beats the alternative of paying a premium for a corner on the open market.
Porter was also reportedly expected to play for Dallas in Week 4 after missing the season’s start, per Yahoo Sports. That means the Cowboys are getting immediate help, not a project.
Why Pittsburgh loses
The Steelers traded a homegrown, first-round talent in his prime because they would not move on guarantees. Then they took back a pick that will not help until 2028 at the earliest, and a sixth-rounder who is barely a lottery ticket.
Sports Illustrated gave Pittsburgh a D and Dallas a B-. I would be harsher on the Steelers and kinder to the Cowboys. A team with a father-son legacy at the position, Porter’s dad was a four-time Pro Bowler in Pittsburgh, handed away its young cornerback over a negotiation it could have solved.
Winner: Dallas. Unless Pittsburgh turns that 2028 second into a star, this one gets worse for the Steelers with time.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.