New York Giants fans were likely shocked to find out late Wednesday evening that Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr., a long-rumored trade target for Big Blue, was actually headed to the Dallas Cowboys.
The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero was the first to report on the blockbuster trade.
Dallas is sending out a 2028 second-round draft pick and 2027 sixth-round pick in the deal. After a long and drawn-out contract dispute between Porter and the Steelers, the 26-year-old cornerback is heading to the Cowboys.
There will certainly be some Giants fans out there who are bummed by the news. Porter would’ve been an awesome addition in New York, and would’ve filled a position of major need for Big Blue.
But the Cowboys may have actually done their NFC East rival a favor, as the price for Porter was a steep one.
Giants May Have Dodged a Bullet With Joey Porter Jr. Trade
While the New York Giants were reportedly interested in working out a trade for Porter, it likely wouldn’t have been in their best interest to give up the draft capital and financial commitment to get him in the door and lock him down long-term.
The Dallas Cowboys, a hopeful playoff contender and a team with legitimate playoff aspirations, gave up a lot to land Porter.
New York, on the other hand, isn’t exactly in the same contention position. With offensive and defensive cornerstones Jaxson Dart and Brian Burns set to miss the entire season due to their respective knee injuries, the boat on competing for a championship likely sailed.
Would the Giants be a better team with Porter manning one of their boundary cornerback spots? Absolutely.
Would it have made them a playoff contender? The answer is no.
Porter is a good player, but not many consider him a true lockdown No. 1 cornerback. He has yet to appear in a game in 2026, but last season, he was Pro Football Focus’s 20th-best coverage cornerback.
The former Penn State standout recorded a grade of 74.1 and allowed a 56.2 passer rating when targeted in coverage.
Would it really have been in the Giants’ best interest to make that trade now? Maybe if Dart and Burns were healthy, but not with the roster as it currently stands.
Giants Were Reportedly Working on Joey Porter Jr. Trade
Regardless of whether a trade made sense for them or not, the New York Giants were reportedly doing their due diligence on a Porter deal, according to NorthJersey.com’s Art Stapleton.
On Monday morning, Stapleton reported that he heard information about a potential Giants-Steelers trade the night before.
“The league has been trying to connect Giants to Joey Porter Jr. for weeks, and I’ve heard nothing concrete on that front in that span – until late Sunday,” wrote Stapleton on X.
“I brushed it off, but then yesterday post-JJ trade the speculation picked up again in league circles. So we’ll see.”
Clearly, the Giants weren’t willing to meet the same price that the Dallas Cowboys were. And that may have been for the best.
Giants Fans Can Only Laugh as Cowboys Poach Rumored Trade Target Joey Porter Jr.