The Pittsburgh Steelers traded star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys, and after taking a deep dive into what both teams are getting, it's probably fair to say that neither organization is a true winner.
In true George Pickens fashion, the Steelers surrendered one of their top players and best building blocks before his rookie contract even expired. While they get a future second-round pick and a sixth-rounder in return, it could be years before we see the fruit of this deal.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys traded for Porter without having a contract extension in place, which could essentially make him a one-year rental before hitting free agency in 2027.
But beyond these two desperate organizations—one for CB help and the other to rid themselves of a distraction—there were a handful of winners and losers from the Porter trade. Sadly, the losers list outweighs those who actually benefit from the Steelers' trade decision.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' biggest winners and losers from the Joey Porter Jr. trade
Winner: Asante Samuel Jr.
Let's start with the obvious winner. Asante Samuel Jr. was just gift-wrapped a golden opportunity as a starting boundary cornerback and full-time player for the rest of the season (as long as he doesn't perform too poorly). This is a player who was willing to sign a one-year, $4 million deal to be a rotational defensive back in 2026.
Luckily for him, Samuel stumbled upon an opportunity to reestablish himself as a starting NFL cornerback, just like he was when he became a second-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021 and started through 2024 season before suffering a season-ending spinal cord injury.
Samuel didn't fare well against the Bengals in Week 3 (there are few cornerbacks who do against Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins), but because of the added opportunity the rest of the way, he will have a chance to earn a solid paycheck after the 2026 season if he has a respectable season.
Winner: Daylen Everette
Speaking of cornerbacks benefiting from the departure of Joey Porter Jr., we can't forget about Daylen Everette. It initially looked like the 22-year-old rookie would have to bide his time and that he might not get a chance to contribute on defense until Year 2. But with Porter gone, Everette suddenly steps into the CB3 role.
Everette could even see a full-time role at some point in the season, either if injuries strike or if Samuel struggles. Though this feels like a lot to put on the plate of a third-round rookie, Everette has been itching for an opportunity to get on the field.
If he performs well, he can really increase his status with this team in a hurry and perhaps even sway them from selecting a cornerback with one of their top picks in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Winner: Mike McCarthy
Mike McCarthy no doubt wants as much talent to work with as possible in his first year as the Steelers' head coach, so losing Porter hurts in that regard. But as badly as he wants to compete, he might have been equally as desperate to stop fielding questions about Joey Porter Jr.'s status.
McCarthy has been forced to cover for Porter for far too long, and now that he's finally headed to the Dallas Cowboys, the long-time head coach can put this distraction behind him and focus on winning football games.
Loser: Omar Khan
We admittedly don't know how the Steelers' Joey Porter Jr. trade will turn out in the end (and we might not know for several years). But it's hard to list Omar Khan as anything but a loser in the trade because of how the GM handled the whole situation leading up to this point.
Khan dug his heels in and stood his ground on contract talks before refusing to alter the Steelers' unwritten rule of negotiating with players once the season starts.
I credit Khan for setting the precedent in Pittsburgh for players to follow in the future, but this is a deal that should have been taken care of early in the offseason. The worst part is that Khan still lacks direction. The Steelers brought back a 42-year-old quarterback and have the third-oldest roster in the league, so they are clearly trying to win now. Yet they keep trading away young, talented players. Make it make sense!
Loser: Patrick Graham
Patrick Graham certainly drew the short straw in this trade ordeal. When he signed on as the Steelers' new defensive coordinator, there wouldn't have been any way of knowing that one of his most talented players would never even suit up for him.
Now, by no fault of his own, Graham has to do an in-season patchwork job at cornerback. Had the trade occurred during the offseason, the Steelers could have made a corresponding move. Instead, Graham will be forced to work with what he has at cornerback and pray that it's enough to make it work this season.
Loser: Joey Porter Jr.
Sure, Porter forced his way off the team like he clearly wanted, but that hardly makes him a winner here. More than wanting to put on a new jersey, Porter wanted to get his long-term extension—to be one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the league and to break the bank with guaranteed money. That didn't happen yet... and it might not at all until next year.
The Cowboys traded for Porter without working out a new deal first. Now the fourth-year CB is set to play on the final year of his rookie deal with no financial security beyond 2026 in the event of an injury or poor performance.
Quite frankly, Porter bet on himself and likely lost. He can still break the bank with a monstrous performance in 2026, but the Steelers' former second-round pick will turn 27 before the 2027 season, and if he regresses after sitting out for nearly eight months, he could be looking at a much smaller contract on his next deal—whether that comes in Dallas or somewhere else.
Loser: The Steelers' pass rushers
We don't really think about the Steelers' pass rushers being impacted by Porter's absence, but this is almost sure to have an effect on them. When Porter plays, he's one of the best in the league at locking down opposing wide receivers in the first 2.0-2.3 seconds of the play. This frequently gave the Steelers a bit of extra time to get after the quarterback.
Now, if receivers happen to be running free and getting open routinely, QBs will just get rid of the ball quickly before the pass rush can pounce on them. With so many investments in the offensive line, the Steelers don't want to have a gaping hole in the secondary that negates what they do best on defense.
Loser: The Steelers' fanbase
Even if you are a huge fan of draft capital and the NFL Draft (like me), we can probably agree that the entire fanbase winds up a loser in this trade. We never got to watch Porter—a second-generation Steeler and one of the best cornerbacks this team has had in years—play out his rookie contract.
Moreover, fans want this team to be legitimately competitive for the first time since 2018, and trading Porter only hurts that cause. We were dragged along for the ride all of this time, only to watch the Joey Porter Jr. situation end as ugly as possible for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It's okay to feel a little bit bad for ourselves right now for having to deal with all of this for months, only to have it end like this.
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