New Joey Porter Jr. Trade Rumors Leak As Star CB Out for Steelers amid Injury Concern

A trade involving Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. "is very possible," according to Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport of ESPN and NFL Network.

As a result of a back injury, Porter was ruled out for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons.

The 26-year-old's desire for a new contract is a major storyline as well. Per Schefter and Rapoport, he's "open to playing elsewhere," but a trade is far from close to materializing.

"The Steelers have been open to listening to offers for Porter, sources say," they wrote. "But there has not been notable interest at Pittsburgh's asking price of a premium draft pick — possibly in the first round — and no serious trade talks have developed despite the Steelers' willingness to deal him."

Porter is in the final year of his rookie contract and will get a nice pay bump whenever he signs his next deal. He has a $3.9 base salary for 2026, and Spotrac set his market value at $23.4 million.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported in August that Porter "has not been happy with the way things have gone." One point of frustration is that Pittsburgh committed financially to others on the roster without making what he deemed to be a serious offer.

Days ago, Porter told reporters he's not attempting to reset the cornerback market.

An extension could push him into the $30 million range, though. Six corners are in that group, and two (New England Patriots' Christian Gonzalez and Seattle Seahawks' Devon Witherspoon) penned new contracts that average more than $33 million annually.

Rapoport and Schefter noted the Steelers don't negotiate extensions once the season kicks off, so the window has seemingly closed for them to make a breakthrough with Porter's representatives.

Once he's cleared from the back injury, Porter won't have much recourse but to play, either. A regular-season holdout would be far too costly in terms of lost earnings and missed game time.

A trade would potentially suit both parties, but Sunday's report painted a clear picture of how little traction that market has right now.