The Pittsburgh Steelers are at an impasse with Joey Porter Jr., and things are about to get interesting.
On Monday, NFL insider Ian Rapoport spoke on the Porter situation and noted that the 2023 second-round pick will be the league's highest-paid cornerback—whether it's the Steelers paying him or some other team paying him.
Rapoport's comments imply that Steelers general manager Omar Khan has to make one of two decisions: either make Porter the richest CB in the NFL or trade him.
And after hearing about the potential trade price from a team receiving Porter in a deal, the Steelers' decision should be obvious. Rapoport suggested that Pittsburgh could get as much as a first-round pick (and potentially more).
"There have been trade chatter around the NFL, surrounding Joey Porter—teams wondering: is he available? And look, we do see guys from time to time like this traded right before the season... These kinds of players generally get traded for first-round picks or premium draft picks..."
The Pittsburgh Steelers should trade CB Joey Porter Jr. if they can get what Ian Rapoport suggests
It was interesting that Rapoport said first-round picks (plural). I simply have a hard time imagining this would be the case. Though Sauce Gardner was traded for a pair of first-rounders at the NFL trade deadline last year, Gardner is two years younger than Porter with more accolades under his belt.
Still, Rapoport's 'premium draft picks' language suggests that the Steelers would be getting quite the haul if they elect to trade the talented cornerback.
Early whispers suggest that the Steelers would get a second-round pick and maybe a third- or fourth-round pick in a Porter deal. But Rapoport makes it sound like it could be more than that.
And if we truly are looking at a first-rounder-plus for Joey Porter Jr., the Steelers shouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger on a deal.
It's true that the Steelers found a quality cornerback, and maybe the best player they've had at the position since Ike Taylor in the 2000s. Because of this, fans (and probably the front office as well) don't want to let go of him. But we need to consider a potential deal from every aspect.
From what Rapoport outlined, not only would the Steelers be getting a first-round pick (and maybe more) in compensation, but they would also save upwards of $30 million per season by not having to hand Porter a lofty contract extension. The league's current top-billed cornerback is Devon Witherspoon, who now sits at $33 million per season (and over $101 million in total guaranteed money).
After displacement (finding a CB to replace Porter), the Steelers are likely looking at $25-30 million in savings moving forward at the position.
Then there's the draft capital.
While the Steelers can't expect to simply throw the acquired pick in a trade back into the 2027 draft and find a cornerback of equal value, they may not need to do that. Pittsburgh signed Asante Samuel Jr. to a one-year deal, and with a strong performance, he could get an extension next offseason. They also spent a third-round selection on Georgia CB Daylen Everette.
It's also worth noting that Porter has just one great season under his belt. Back in 2024, Porter's performance was shaky at best. So the team is already banking on him to repeat what he did in 2025 and not revert to the player we witnessed before his best season. The nature of the cornerback position, in general, lends itself to high-variance play.
The combination of the premium draft capital the Pittsburgh Steelers could receive and the money they could save should be enticing enough for Khan to pull the trigger on a Joey Porter Jr. trade.
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