The Pittsburgh Steelers ultimately reached the conclusion this week that there was no path forward with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. other than a trade. So, the Steelers shipped him out of town to the highest bidder.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport provided more details Sunday, though, about how the team and cornerback reached that ending.
Rapoport’s report confirmed details that a lot of pundits suspected. The Steelers had a very competitive average annual salary offer to Porter but were unable to offer any guaranteed money beyond the first season of the deal.
“As for why the trade happened, sources pointed to the Steelers’ general philosophy of avoiding second-year guarantees as the main reason,” wrote Rapoport.
“Pittsburgh did offer Porter a contract that, with some work, could have been acceptable to keep him with the team. The Steelers presented Porter with a deal that reached $28 million in average annual value — a pitch that would have been the starting point for a deal to be consummated.”
“There was significant money guaranteed for injury, but not fully in the second year, as the Steelers held firm on a stance they have used often over the past few years.”
At $28 million per season, Porter would have become the seventh-highest paid cornerback in the league. But the guaranteed money would have fallen short of what other star cornerbacks have received recently.
Other top cornerbacks Devon Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez each had their signing bonus and 2026 plus 2027 salaries fully guaranteed with their new deals this summer.
Guaranteed Money Sticking Point for Steelers in Joey Porter Jr. Contract Talks
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac previously reported the Steelers offered $27 million annually to Porter. The Steelers apparently beat that report with an extra million. But as Dulac said in August, Rapoport reported the guaranteed money was the issue.
The NFL Network insider wrote the Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals are the only other teams in the league besides the Steelers that don’t offer guaranteed money beyond the first season.
Recently, the Steelers offered guaranteed money in the second year for edge rusher T.J. Watt and wide receiver D.K. Metcalf. But they didn’t include that in the extension for Porter.
The cornerback told reporters in his first media session for the Cowboys that he felt disrespected by the Steelers offer. The guaranteed money was likely why.
It wasn’t the money, per se. What the offer told Porter was the team didn’t see him as an elite cornerback like Witherspoon and Gonzalez. Most pundits would agree, but what it also revealed was the Steelers didn’t view Porter as important to their roster as either Watt or Metcalf.
While Porter is not an established veteran like Watt or Metcalf, he was arguably more important to the team’s future before the trade.
Will Steelers Change Their Guaranteed Money Policy?
With the Porter trade, the Steelers ended the saga surrounding the cornerback. That’s the good news, as the players and organization can now completely focus on the season.
But going forward, hopefully the Steelers learn from this experience. Because it’s going to be painful for a lot of fans to see Porter play with the Cowboys and perhaps another new team next season.
Porter wanted out of Pittsburgh so badly that he was willing to accept not getting a new deal immediately from Dallas. In 2026, cornerback will only make $3.73 million.
That’s a lot less than the guaranteed money Porter would have received with his Steelers extension. But the cornerback is likely hopeful this is the better financial decision for him a year or two from now.
For the Steelers, this should be a lessoned learned. Some of the team’s policies are outdated in the modern NFL. Steelers Depot’s Joe Clark called Pittsburgh’s philosophy toward guaranteed contracts “antiquated.”
“Guaranteed money is becoming more important in potential earnings, and the Steelers’ philosophy could cost them players beyond Porter if they don’t change it,” wrote Clark.
“If the team truly wants to retain its top talent and sign its best players to second contracts, it needs to look in the mirror and decide if its contract philosophy is worth it.”
Ian Rapoport Drops Why Steelers Couldn’t Sign Joey Porter Jr.