The season for NFL trade rumors is just now starting to heat up, with the trade deadline just a little over a month away. One of the first big names on the hot stove is Steelers cornerback Joey Porter, who has been holding out for a contract extension.
“The Joey Porter situation is still hanging over Pittsburgh’s head, with no one there seeming certain about how it will play out,” wrote ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano. “The team didn’t know as of last weekend whether Porter would play in Sunday’s game against the Bengals (he did not), and while they’ve expressed hope that he could suit up Thursday night against the Browns, his unresolved contract situation still makes that uncertain. Teams have been calling but, as of yet, aren’t willing to offer enough in return to convince the Steelers to part with Porter AND also sign him to the contract he wants.
“The consensus around the league seems to be that Porter is a good cornerback but not among the elites at his position,” Graziano continued. “If he wants to be paid north of $30 million per year, it may be hard to find a team desperate enough to offer him that and the Steelers the compensation they’re looking for.”
Complicating matters is that the Steelers have a franchise rule that they will not sign players to new deals after the regular season begins.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wrote about Pittsburgh’s rule this week, calling the rule “antiquated,” and stating that the Steelers have “painted themselves into a corner.”
Below, we will look at three teams that have or will be sniffing around on a trade for Porter.
NFL Trade Rumors: Joey Porter to Cowboys
Porter to the Cowboys is one of the most logical outcomes, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported this week that Dallas has “inquired” about the 2023 second-round pick. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones contributed to the rumor mill this week during an interview on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, saying that “conversations were going on” regarding Cowboys roster upgrades.
The Cowboys have been ravaged by injury early in the season, particularly in the secondary.
A big holdup in a potential deal for Porter, however, is that Dallas does not have much draft capital to send Pittsburgh’s way.
“Dallas doesn’t seem eager to relinquish major capital to secure Porter just yet (it owns just six picks in 2027, due to previous trades for key players),” Fowler wrote. “Dallas believes it could use Porter as a prolific boundary corner. Porter has a trade market, but his desire for a new contract - and the rising cost of a position that’s now well above $30 million per year - complicates matters.”
NFL Trade Rumors: Joey Porter to Giants
The Giants are yet another team that has been bit by the injury bug in their secondary.
John Harbaugh has already shown a willingness to enter the trade market during his Giants tenure, as New York traded for quarterback JJ McCarthy this week.
Could the Giants’ next target be Porter?
“Now there’s other reports and a lot of buzz as the Giants are also looking to pick up a prominent player who is unhappy,” longtime New York sports radio voice Mike Francesa said this week on his podcast. “My understanding, he’s a secondary player. Whether that happens or not will depend on price and salary and everything as far as that goes. There are rumblings that the Giants are looking to make more moves and that they have one move that they’re very much zeroing in on.”
USA Today reporter Art Stapleton also mentioned that Porter to the Giants was a possibility this week.
“The league has been trying to connect the Giants to Joey Porter Jr for weeks, and I’ve heard nothing concrete on that front in that span - until late Sunday,” Stapleton wrote on X. “I brushed it off, but then yesterday post-JJ trade the speculation picked up again in league circles.
“The only reason I mention it here is because John Harbaugh has not been shy about the willingness to make bold moves.”
NFL Trade Rumors: Joey Porter to Lions
Contending teams with a clear need are the ones to watch this time of year. The Lions are 2-1, but their pass defense has been atrocious.
Detroit is allowing 299.3 passing yards per game, which ranks dead last in the NFL.
The Lions’ issue in making a move for Porter centers around the salary cap.
“Detroit is desperate for help in the secondary but has extended so many of its own stars over the past couple of years that there may not be room for another big, longterm contract commitment, especially from outside the organization for a player they don’t already know,” Graziano wrote.
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