The Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys apparently can’t stop doing business with each other.
Joey Porter Jr. became the latest player to make the trip from Pittsburgh to Dallas on Sept. 30, joining George Pickens and Broderick Jones as former Steelers acquired by the Cowboys in trades since May 2025.
That made three Steelers-Cowboys trades in less than a year and a half, with Dallas repeatedly turning to Pittsburgh for recognizable former first- and second-round picks.
Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz pointed out just how strange the connection has become.
“The #Cowboys have now traded for George Pickens, Joey Porter Jr. and Broderick Jones — getting them all from the #Steelers.
Meanwhile, the Steelers have the #Cowboys former HC with Mike McCarthy.”
Cowboys Keep Coming Back to Steelers for Trades
The relationship started with Pickens in May 2025.
Dallas acquired Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick from Pittsburgh for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder. The Steelers later used that 2026 third-round selection on quarterback Drew Allar.
Then came Jones in August 2026.
Pittsburgh sent Jones and a 2027 fourth-round pick to Dallas for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2027 sixth-rounder. That sixth-round selection was Pittsburgh’s own pick, which had initially gone to Dallas as part of the Pickens deal.
Porter became the third.
The Cowboys sent Pittsburgh a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick for Porter, who had yet to play through the Steelers’ first three games of the season amid a lingering back injury and an unresolved contract situation.
Trey Carney collected all three deals into one running tally.
“In the 3 trades that the #Steelers have made with the Cowboys here is the compensation between both teams:
Cowboys received – George Pickens, Broderick Jones, Joey Porter Jr., ‘27 fourth round pick.
Steelers received – ‘26 third round pick (Drew Allar), ‘27 fifth round pick, ‘27 third round pick, ‘27 sixth round pick (Pittsburgh pick they sent to Dallas in the Pickens deal), ‘28 second round pick, ‘27 sixth round pick.”
Cowboys received – George Pickens, Broderick Jones, Joey Porter Jr., ‘27 fourth round pick.
Steelers received – ‘26 third round pick (Drew Allar), ‘27 fifth round pick,
Mike McCarthy Adds Another Steelers-Cowboys Twist
The player movement makes the connection unusual enough. McCarthy adds another layer.
Pittsburgh hired the former Cowboys head coach after the 2025 season, putting him in charge of a Steelers roster that has since continued sending players back to his former organization.
McCarthy spent five seasons as Dallas’ head coach from 2020 through 2024. Now, while he coaches in Pittsburgh, the Cowboys have assembled a small group of former Steelers on the other side.
Pickens became the first and made an immediate impact after arriving in Dallas. Jones followed when Pittsburgh moved on from its former 2023 first-round pick. Porter, selected one round after Jones in that same draft, is now the newest addition.
For the Steelers, the return has largely become future draft capital, with Allar the lone player already produced from the picks acquired in those deals.
There is no guarantee the two teams are finished, either.
Three trades between the same two franchises over roughly 17 months is already unusual. Three deals sending prominent Pittsburgh players to Dallas while the Steelers employ the Cowboys’ former head coach makes it even harder to ignore.
At this point, whenever the Cowboys decide they need another piece, checking Pittsburgh’s roster might as well be part of the process.
Steelers-Cowboys’ Unusual Connection Strikes Again With Joey Porter Jr. Trade