With the Joey Porter Jr. saga set to continue into the second month of the 2026 NFL season, the Pittsburgh Steelers elected to finally trade the cornerback late Wednesday night. The move came just hours after the Steelers ruled out Porter for Week 4 because of a “back flareup.”
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported that was breaking point for the Steelers.
“The final straw came this week when Porter complained again about back pain, just one day after the Steelers listed him as being a full participant at practice for the first time this season,” wrote Dulac. On Wednesday afternoon, the team ruled the cornerback out for Thursday night’s game against the Browns in Cleveland.
The Steelers had conditioning, not the back injury, as the reason for listing Porter on the injury report ahead of Week 4. But the team added “back” to Porter on Wednesday. As Dulac explained, the team also ruled him out.
Porter hasn’t played this season because of repetitive back flareups. But it was one of the worst kept secrets the cornerback was staging a hold-in because he didn’t receive a contract extension to his liking this offseason.
The Steelers dealt Porter to the Dallas Cowboys late Wednesday. In return, Pittsburgh received a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-rounder.
Steelers Trade Joey Porter Jr. to Cowboys
In addition to Wednesday being the final straw, Dulac again emphasized Porter declined a contract that would have paid him an average of $27 million per season with the Steelers. That would have made Porter a top 10 cornerback in average annual salary.
But it’s unclear how much of the contract the Steelers offered Porter included in guaranteed money.
Without a deal in place before the regular season began on September 13, the Steelers ended negotiations because of their longstanding team policy of not opening contract talks during the season. Porter essentially countered by not playing because of his back injury.
The two sides engaged in an ugly standoff over the next few weeks. That ended with the trade to the Cowboys on Wednesday.
Porter told reporters last Thursday he “definitely” saw himself playing again this season. The cornerback, though, didn’t specify whether he saw that with the Steelers or elsewhere. Ultimately, he pushed for it to be elsewhere with his continuous back flareups.
Despite Porter not being able to play for the Steelers in Week 4 Thursday night, NFL insiders haven’t rule out Porter making his Cowboys debut Sunday — just three days after he couldn’t play because of a back injury.
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Porter could also play for the Cowboys without a contract extension.
If all Porter wanted was to get out of Pittsburgh, he succeeded. But instead of $27 million this season, he is set to play for $4 million in Dallas.
Meanwhile, the Steelers lost their best cornerback in a season where they are trying to win the Super Bowl with a 42-year-old quarterback.
One could argue no one won the Porter vs. Steelers 2026 contract standoff. But for the Steelers, it might not have been about winning the saga anymore. The team decided Wednesday it was time to move on.
Steelers Reached ‘Final Straw’ With Joey Porter Jr. Before Cowboys Trade: Report