Joey Porter Jr. may have played his way into a bigger payday, but Pittsburgh doesn’t sound eager to make him the NFL’s top-paid cornerback.
That tension is what has pushed Porter into trade chatter, with NFL insider Ian Rapoport suggesting a deal could be close. The Steelers drafted Porter 32nd overall in 2023, but because that was the same year the Miami Dolphins were stripped of a first-round pick for tampering, Porter became the first selection of Day 2. That detail matters because it leaves him without a fifth-year team option on his rookie contract, meaning 2026 is the final season he is tied to Pittsburgh.
The Steelers have a few paths in front of them. They could keep Porter through 2026 and hope to recover a third-round compensatory pick in 2028 if he walks in free agency.
They could also franchise tag him next spring and try to hammer out an extension. Or they could decide their deteriorating quarterback situation makes the defense the better place to invest, pay Porter something below Devon Witherspoon’s $33 million per year, and lock up a player who has been a Pro Bowl snub in at least two of his three seasons.
The other option is the one now getting the most attention: move him for a first-round pick. If Pittsburgh goes that route, there are a few teams that make sense.
Washington is one of them. The Commanders rebuilt their defense this spring and could wind up with a majority of new starters on that side of the ball.
Porter would upgrade a pass defense that finished 31st in dropback expected points added allowed, while also sliding Mike Sainristil into the slot, where he has been more effective as a pro. He would also give Washington a cushion if Trey Amos struggles in his second season.
Dallas fits the same broad idea, only with more star power and more salary-cap consequences. Jerry Jones already made a big move last trade deadline, sending out a 2027 first-round pick for Quinnen Williams to fix a defense that had been terrible.
The Micah Parsons trade also gave Dallas another 2027 Day 1 pick to use. Porter would join Caleb Downs as part of a young defensive core, though he would also bring another cap issue for Jones to manage.
Chicago belongs in the conversation too, even if the Bears’ priorities might point elsewhere. Tyrique Stevenson is solid enough as CB2 behind Jaylon Johnson, and first-round capital should probably go toward improving a pass rush that disappointed.
But if Chicago still can’t get home, the next best answer is a secondary that can keep receivers covered. The Bears allowed 0.88 EPA per dropback last season, which ranked 20th and was fourth-worst among playoff teams.
The Chargers would be a nasty fit on paper. A secondary with Cam Hart and Porter Jr. on the outside, Tarheeb Still in the slot, and Derwin James in the middle would be a tough group for Patrick Mahomes and Bo Nix to deal with.
Pass defense is not exactly a weakness for Los Angeles, but the team could use a boost to move from good to great. The bigger question is whether Pittsburgh would want to send Porter to a team it might run into in the playoffs.
Then there’s Detroit, which has already tried to solve its cornerback problem with a first-round pick. Terrion Arnold was the result in 2024, but he struggled and was later released after being charged with kidnapping and robbery this offseason.
Porter would be a much more immediate answer, and a much more proven one, for a Lions team whose Super Bowl momentum slowed to a trickle in 2025. Detroit is also in position to afford him, with an estimated $62 million in salary cap space for 2027.
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Steelers Suddenly Face A Joey Porter Jr. Decision With Huge Stakes
Joey Porter Jr. has quickly become one of the most intriguing names on the Steelers roster watch list, and not just because of what he has done on the field. NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that Pittsburgh is staring at a major fork in the road with its young cornerback, one that could force the team to either pay him at the very top of the market or consider moving him before the contract picture gets even more complicated.
For the Steelers, the stakes are obvious. Keeping Porter would mean betting on a premium defender and committing the kind of money that comes with that status, while a trade could bring back a first-round pick or more and free up significant cap space. The catch is simple enough: Porters recent performance makes him valuable enough to matter in either direction, which is exactly why this decision is drawing so much attention. [Read more 🡒]