After contract negotiations that spanned the offseason through the first three weeks of the regular season, Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. has found a new home with the Dallas Cowboys. The Steelers traded Porter to the Cowboys for a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-rounder, Dallas announced Thursday. This is the third trade between the Cowboys and Steelers in the past two years. Porter, the Steelers' 2023 second-round pick who has been sidelined by a back injury and inactive through three weeks, had been seeking a contract extension. There was a significant difference between the Steelers' view of Porter's value and how Porter values himself, with the core issue being the structure of the contract, sources told ESPN.
The Cowboys needed cornerback help, and owner and general manager Jerry Jones has been hinting since training camp that the team would be willing to give up draft capital to help this season's team. A league source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that there is a "chance" that Porter will make his Cowboys debut Sunday against the Houston Texans. Porter's last NFL game came in the Steelers' wild-card-round loss in January to that very team.
How'd we get here? Porter not playing in Week 4 despite optimism from the team was one factor. The team and player had reached a point of no return. There was no chance of the sides reaching a long-term deal, and Porter wanted out. The belief among some inside the league is that the Steelers originally wanted compensation equal to a first-round draft pick, but as weeks went by, they decided to take the best deal available now.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing