Joey Porter Jr. may have a lot of football left in front of him, but his time in Pittsburgh is suddenly looking a lot less certain.
The Steelers cornerback was inactive for Sunday’s season-opening win over the Falcons because of a back injury, and even once he’s healthy, there’s still no guarantee he’ll be back in black and gold. Porter and the Steelers have not been able to work out a contract extension, and ESPN’s Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter reported that an “early-season trade is possible.”
Porter is only 26, and he still looks like the kind of defensive back who can go toe-to-toe with the league’s best receivers. That makes him a real trade chip, but Pittsburgh isn’t about to move him cheaply. According to Rapoport and Schefter, the Steelers would want a “premium draft pick” in return.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler identified five teams that could make sense if Pittsburgh decides to deal him: the Cowboys, Lions, Saints, Jets and 49ers.
Dallas stands out because the Cowboys and Steelers have already done business together recently. Fowler pointed to the relationship between the two front offices, writing, “The franchise has trade-market rapport with Pittsburgh GM Omar Khan,” and noting, “The sides have reached deals in back-to-back offseasons, as Dallas traded for wide receiver George Pickens in May 2025 and offensive tackle Broderick Jones on Aug. 29.
"Dallas did not discuss Porter with Pittsburgh at the time of the Jones trade. But that would be an easy call for the Cowboys to make if interested."
San Francisco also has a clean path to making a move. Fowler highlighted the 49ers’ financial flexibility, pointing out that they have more than $45 million in cap space.
He also said the fit on the field would be obvious, writing, “The 49ers' cornerback rotation looked stout Thursday against the Los Angeles Rams, but seasons are long and Porter would help the defense immensely. ... Porter opposite Deommodore Lenoir would form a stout 1-2 cornerback combo,” Fowler wrote.
For now, Porter is still a Steeler. But if this situation keeps trending the way it has, Pittsburgh fans could be watching him in a different uniform before long.
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For LSU fans, the wrinkle is the family connection behind it all. Landrys brand launch lands in the middle of a week tied to both LSU and Ole Miss, a reminder of how closely those schools are woven into her family story. Fifth Year is still in its opening chapter, but the rollout has already given this matchup an extra layer of off-field intrigue. [Read more 🡒]
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The case also involves Devin Harper, another former Rebel who transferred to LSU, and it asks for nearly $1 million in penalties while trying to sort out revenue-sharing obligations between the schools. For LSU, it adds an uncomfortable layer to a matchup that already carries plenty of edge, with the off-field fallout now hanging over players who made the jump from Oxford to Baton Rouge. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs SEC Standing Suddenly Became A Real Issue Behind The Scenes
A behind-the-scenes hiccup in LSUs SEC relationship surfaced this week when LSU System President Dr. Wade Rousse told Commissioner Greg Sankey the university would not attend a high-stakes league meeting on the advice of legal counsel. The reason was tied to a federal lawsuit involving LSU employees, a complication that forced the school to sit out a gathering it otherwise had every reason to be part of as conference business continued to pile up around college sports.
LSU still stressed that its commitment to the SEC has not changed, and the league moved forward without the Tigers, taking no action to punish the university for the absence. Even so, the timing only added to the tension around a legal dispute over athlete eligibility that remains active and is still working its way through the courts, leaving LSU in the middle of a situation that is far from settled. [Read more 🡒]