Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes stressed in his latest press conference the team is very confident in their cornerback room even as they enter the 2026 NFL season without former first-round pick Terrion Arnold.
Pundits and fans, though, aren’t too convinced the Lions have a group to significant improve in pass defense. Count Fansided’s SidLion Report’s Ronnie Martin II among them.
But Martin proposed the idea solution Wednesday — acquire cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Porter has been one of the best cornerbacks in the league since he stepped on the scene. Per NextGen Stats (NGS), he hasn’t allowed a touchdown since week eight of his rookie season – 1,467 consecutive snaps – marking the longest streak of any cornerback in the NGS era,” wrote Martin.
Porter is seeking a contract extension before the start of the 2026 NFL season. He is set to enter the final year of his rookie contract.
The Steelers have signed three of Porter’s draft classmates to extensions since the start of June. But they have failed to meet Porter’s financial demands through training camp.
Pittsburgh has a team policy of not negotiating contracts during the regular season. Assuming the organization continues that tradition, it could entertain Porter trade calls instead of signing him to a new deal if he begins to sit out regular season games without a new contract.
The cornerback left open the possibility he would sit in Week 1 if he didn’t have a new deal.
Could Lions Try to Acquire CB Joey Porter Jr.?
There have been a lot of trade rumors surrounding Porter in recent weeks. Through the first couple days of September, the Steelers have balked at the idea of trading him.
The longer Porter doesn’t have a contract, though, the more likely a trade might happen. But even as the likelihood of a trade increases, the price for a potential swap remains expensive.
“Elite cornerbacks are seldom traded around their prime, and it usually takes a haul to acquire them. Historically, trades involving Champ Bailey and Darrelle Revis come to mind for comparisons, although Porter isn’t quite at their levels,” wrote Martin.
More recently, the Los Angeles Rams traded for all-pro cornerback Trent McDuffie last offseason. The Rams had to give the Kansas City Chiefs four draft picks, including the 29th overall pick in the 2026 draft. A first or second-round pick would almost certainly be part of the asking price for Porter, but given the Lions’ history of drafting cornerbacks, they shouldn’t have an issue with that. After all, Detroit has wasted countless picks on defensive backs over the past two decades or so.”
The issue with acquiring Porter for a team like the Lions isn’t just the trade compensation. Any club that acquired him with then have to pay him. NFL Network insiders have suggested Porter might want to be the highest-paid cornerback in the league.
To land him, it could cost the Lions multiple high picks, including a first-rounder. Then they might have to be willing to give him a deal well north of $100 million — perhaps closer to $130 million.
Devon Witherspoon is the highest-paid cornerback with the 4-year, $132 million contract he signed in August.
It seems unlikely the Lions would be willing to offer that trade compensation and contract to Porter. But clearly Martin would do it to immediately fix Detroit’s secondary.
Lions Urged to Strongly Push to Trade for Star CB