Joey Porter Jr. is headed to the Dallas Cowboys.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are finalizing a trade to send their starting cornerback to the Cowboys, according to multiple reports. The Ringer's Tom Pelissero first reported the pending trade.
Rumors about a potential Porter trade started ramping up after Week 1, when the cornerback was ruled out of the Steelers' season-opening win over the Atlanta Falcons. Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy stated that a lingering back injury was the reason Porter was held out, though it was also clear throughout training camp that Porter was seeking a contract extension.
McCarthy told reporters in late August that Porter and the Steelers were at an "impasse" in contract negotiations, and the two sides ultimately couldn't
reach a deal before the season. That's a notable deadline for Pittsburgh, a team that traditionally does not negotiate contracts once the regular season starts. Porter was entering the final season of his rookie contract in 2026.
Now it appears as though Porter has played his last snap with the Steelers. Here's what we know about the reported trade:
Joey Porter Jr. injury update
Porter missed the preseason with the Steelers while dealing with a back injury that flared up at the start of training camp. According to the team, that back injury is also why the starting cornerback missed Pittsburgh's season-opening win against the Falcons. McCarthy said after the game that Porter was close to a return.
"I would clearly still put him finishing up the ramp-up stage as far as where he is," McCarthy said. "We sat down and talked about it. Talk about the plan for next week. He's definitely ready to do more. So we’ll see how that goes. He'll do something tomorrow, and then hopefully we can take his snaps up at Wednesday's practice."
Always in the background of Porter's injury news is talk of his contract, which is due to expire after this season. When cornerback Jalen Ramsey returned to practice on Aug. 24 after dealing with his own injury, he told reporters he was "overly in Joey’s corner." That was the same day McCarthy spoke of an "impasse" in negotiations.
Before Week 1, Porter was a limited participant in practice every day and had a "questionable" designation for the game. After Porter was declared inactive for the Steelers' Week 1 game, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the cornerback was "deemed healthy enough to play" before the game.
Porter has not played a snap this season. Despite participating fully in back-to-back walk-throughs this week, the 26-year-old was ruled out earlier Wednesday for the Steelers' Week 4 game against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night.
Joey Porter Jr. contract details
- Term: Four years
- Total value: $9.62 million
- Average annual value (AAV): $2.4 million
- Guaranteed money: $8.99 million
Despite being the No. 32 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Porter was a second-round pick due to the Dolphins' forfeited selection for violating the anti-tampering policy. That meant, as a non-first-rounder, Porter a) was not eligible for a fifth-year option on his rookie deal and b) did not receive a fully guaranteed contract.
Porter was first eligible to sign an extension this offseason after his third year in the NFL, though he and the Steelers never reached an extension deal before the season began. Since Pittsburgh traditionally does not negotiate contracts during the season, Porter would have had to wait until after the year for either an extension or for the Steelers to place the franchise tag on him. Instead, he's being traded to a new team.
Joey Porter Jr. trade details
This section will be updated.
Cowboys receive:
- Joey Porter Jr.
Steelers receive:
- TBD
The Steelers selected WR George Pickens in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, LT Broderick Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft and CB Joey Porter Jr. in the second round that year. They have now traded all three players to the Cowboys.
This story will be updated when new information becomes available.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cowboys trading for Steelers' Joey Porter Jr. in midseason deal. See the details
