Rumors have been swirling for weeks, but the Joey Porter Jr. trade speculation peaked on Sunday when several national reporters said the Detroit Lions were among a “handful of teams” who have reached out to the Pittsburgh Steelers inquiring about the availability of the 26-year-old cornerback. Per the same reports, the Steelers are open to listening to offers but “would want a strong compensation package”—which is vague and obvious.
At the tail end of this week’s Lions vs. Jets recap PODcast, our
crew discussed the pros and cons of the Lions making such a move. Sunday’s game reminded us again that Detroit’s outside cornerbacks are currently a liability. Even their CB1, D.J. Reed, has struggled through the first few weeks of the season. Beyond that, the Lions are still tinkering with their best option at second outside cornerback. Is it Rock Ya-Sin, who was strong last year but was effectively benched in Week 3? Is it Roger McCreary, who has flashed at both outside and nickel, but also struggled against the Jets? Or is it Ennis Rakestraw, who looked very solid in a small situational role on Sunday and doesn’t have a ton of experience?
If there are that many questions at cornerback, doesn’t Porter provide some answers?
But adding talent isn’t just a matter of whether the player will help the team or not. Porter would undeniably improve Detroit’s defense. The cost, however, is something that the Lions will have to deeply grapple with.
It’s unclear right now how much Porter would cost, but on the PODcast, we go through some recent cornerback trades to gauge the market. And that’s only half of the conversation about trading for Porter.
The Steelers cornerback is also seeking a contract extension as he currently rides out the final year of his rookie deal. Would Porter be willing to play out the final year without an extension in Detroit? That’s unclear, but the Lions will have to seriously consider inking him to a long-term deal if they acquire him, and the team has been doing a delicate salary cap balancing act for the last couple of years now that they have some top-end market deals on the books. If Detroit trades and signs for Porter, how much will that disrupt their current plans for 2026 and beyond? Will it cost them their ability to re-sign some of their players, or can they cook the books enough to make this happen without jeopardizing their future?
There are two more facets of this potential trade to consider: First, how good is Porter? Fans tend to get stuck on one or two players and romanticize them without considering their weaknesses. Will Porter be able to come in and immediately play like a CB1?
Another thing to consider is whether Lions general manager Brad Holmes would even do it. While he’s made in-season trades before, he has never added a young, long-term piece and extended them before they’ve even played a down in Detroit. This would mark a pretty big break from Holmes’ reputation, but is it finally time for him to adjust his strategy?
We discuss the entire topic below on this week’s PODcast. You can get the full episode of the show—including our Lions/Jets recap—by searching “Pride of Detroit” on your preferred podcasting platform, or you can watch it on our YouTube page or Twitch channel.
The Porter conversation is isolated below:
