Joey Porter Jr. Traded to Cowboys for NFL Draft Picks Following Steelers Contract Standoff

The Pittsburgh Steelers haved moved on from starting cornerback Joey Porter Jr. after stalled extension negotiations.

The Dallas Cowboys confirmed the deal for Porter on Thursday morning after Tom Pelissero of The Ringer first reported the move on Wednesday night.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, there's "a chance" Porter will play Sunday against the Houston Texans after the deal.

Despite the trade, the Cowboys don't plan to sign Porter to an extension immediately and will instead play out the year on his current deal, per NFL Insider Jordan Schultz.

Porter, who has not yet played this season, is under a $4.9 million cap hit in the final year of his rookie contract.

The Steelers attempted to finalize an extension for Porter this offseason but did not come to resolution before the franchise's Week 1 negotiating deadline, which general manager Omar Khan told reporters in August the franchise did not plan to change.

Porter was placed on the PUP list in early August after reportedly aggravating a back injury. Steelers coach Mike McCarthy said later that month the team was at an "impasse" in contract negotiations with Porter.

The cornerback ultimately missed the first three games for the Steelers before he was traded without having played a snap in 2026.

The news comes after Schefter reported the Cowboys had joined teams including the Detroit Lions in making inquiries about Porter.

The Cowboys ultimately won that potential bidding war as part of the team's ongoing effort to overhaul its defense.

Dallas started last season by acquiring Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams, then added Rashan Gary before drafting Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence last spring.

The Cowboys will now continue that effort by addressing the secondary, which struggled early this season after losing Cobie Durant to injury.

Dallas will hope adding more pass protection will help the team improve on a 1-2 start to the season.

Porter missed three games due to injuries last season, including two with a hamstring issue and one with a hip injury.

When available he recorded 52 tackles, 14 passes defensed, a sack and an interception while playing 94 percent of the Steelers' defensive snaps.

Those snaps were mostly run defense and coverage, per Pro Football Focus. Porter ranked top-five in the NFL in yards allowed per coverage snap last season, per PFSN.

Porter has not allowed a touchdown on a regular-season coverage snap since Week 8 of the 2023 season, per NFL Next Gen Stats cited by former NFL scout Matt Williamson.

His defensive efforts down the stretch were a key reason the Steelers made it into the playoffs before losing in the Wild Card round to the Houston Texans.

The Steelers responded to that playoff loss by bringing in McCarthy to replace longtime head coach Mike Tomlin this offseason.

McCarthy, who said in August he would like to coach Porter, will now hope to see his franchise make some more moves ahead of the deadline in order to bolster their secondary in Porter's absence.