The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially started a new era, with Mike McCarthy running the show as head coach. Unfortunately, McCarthy’s tenure has started without one of the team’s best players being on the field. That player is veteran corner Joey Porter Jr., who has yet to participate in a training camp practice.
Porter and his representation have been entrenched in contract negotiations with the Steelers, and talks don’t seem to be going well. With the start of the regular season getting closer by the day, there’s a serious fear that the two sides won’t reach the same page before Week 1.
If that happens, there’s no telling what’s next.
One possible outcome is the Steelers trading Porter, and that possibility is reportedly gaining interest. On Thursday, NFL insider Jordan Schultz shared that multiple teams are curious to see if Pittsburgh will make Porter a trade target because he will have quite the market.
While Porter has all the makings of a trade candidate, the Steelers should make sure things don’t reach that point.
The Pittsburgh Steelers shouldn’t even consider a Joey Porter Jr. trade
The veteran corner is entering the final season of his rookie contract, is a really good player, and doesn’t appear to be close to getting a new deal done with his current team. For those reasons, a trade would be logical; Pittsburgh could get something in return before losing the corner in free agency next offseason.
However, there’s more to the picture. For starters, the Steelers consider themselves contenders, and contending teams don’t trade good players away. Even if a player is just essentially a one-year rental, contenders are fine with that, because the player could help them win a championship in that one season.
This applies to Pittsburgh and Porter. The franchise clearly has a Super Bowl goal in 2026, and Porter could help the team reach that goal. Of course, he has to be on the field, but he’s unlikely to sit out regular-season action for an unresolved contract situation.
Beyond the 2026 implications, the Steelers should be determined to keep the corner as a pillar of their franchise for years to come. Not only is Porter one of the top players at his position, but he’s also a homegrown talent, a legacy player, and, by all accounts, does everything right inside and outside of the building.
As a franchise, you should absolutely want to take care of a player like that. Shipping Porter off instead of paying him would send a bad message about the franchise’s leadership and values.
Unless Joey Porter Jr. is just being completely unreasonable with his contract demands, the Steelers need to find a way to make it work.
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