The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the NFL’s better defenses on paper entering 2026. A new trade idea would have them making it even more imposing by using their biggest contract problem to solve another team’s.
Joey Porter Jr. and the Steelers remain at an impasse over a new contract. Porter is also on the physically unable to perform list after aggravating a back injury at the start of training camp, though his absence is being labeled more as a contract-related hold-in.
Meanwhile, New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez is dealing with his own stalled extension talks.
That led to CBS Sports’ Carter Bahns and Zachary Pereles to name Pittsburgh as a potential landing spot for Gonzalez, with Porter potentially giving the Steelers something unique to offer New England in return.
Steelers Could Use Joey Porter Jr. in Christian Gonzalez Trade
Bahns and Pereles pointed directly to the similarities between the two situations.
“Gonzalez isn’t the only cornerback at a frustrating impasse with his team,” they wrote.
Porter is entering the final year of his rookie contract after the Steelers selected him No. 32 overall in 2023. Mike McCarthy publicly acknowledged on August 24 that Pittsburgh and Porter had reached an “impasse” in their negotiations.
The 26-year-old has developed into one of Pittsburgh’s top young defenders. Porter has started 41 of 47 games over three seasons, recording 165 tackles, 31 passes defensed and three interceptions.
Gonzalez would hardly represent a step backward.
The Patriots selected Gonzalez No. 17 overall in the same 2023 draft. He has since developed into one of the league’s premier young corners, but New England has been unable to finalize the lucrative extension he is seeking.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft said earlier in training camp that New England had offered Gonzalez a deal that would make him the highest-paid cornerback in league history. The market then shifted when Seattle gave Devon Witherspoon a four-year, $132 million extension.
Bahns and Pereles noted Pittsburgh could potentially offer the Patriots what most Gonzalez suitors cannot: another young starting-caliber cornerback.
Any move would require New England to find an acceptable contract with Porter while Pittsburgh would need to satisfy Gonzalez financially. The Patriots also have Gonzalez under team control through 2027 after exercising his fifth-year option.
Christian Gonzalez Could Give Steelers Elite Defense
The attraction for Pittsburgh is quite obvious.
The Steelers are entering what Aaron Rodgers has repeatedly said will be his final NFL season. With a veteran quarterback taking one last run, Pittsburgh has already assembled a defense featuring T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Patrick Queen and Jalen Ramsey.
Adding Gonzalez would potentially push that group another level higher.
Bahns and Pereles wrote that Pittsburgh’s defense “could go from very good to elite with Gonzalez.”
The question is whether that improvement would justify moving Porter and then handing Gonzalez a contract that could reset the cornerback market.
Gonzalez is only 24 and coming off another strong season for New England. Porter, however, is also young enough to remain part of Pittsburgh’s defense for years if the two sides can resolve their contract differences.
There is also the matter of New England trading one of its best defenders to another AFC contender, something Bahns and Pereles acknowledged could be a non-starter for the Patriots.
For now, Gonzalez remains a Patriot and Porter remains a Steeler. Neither contract dispute has resulted in a trade request or an indication that a deal is imminent.
But with both teams staring at expensive decisions involving young cornerbacks from the same draft class, Pittsburgh suddenly has a potential trade chip few other Gonzalez suitors could match.
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