The Washington Commanders need long-term help at cornerback.
Right now, a very good cornerback is openly looking for a new home: Pittsburgh Steelers star Joey Porter Jr.
Porter, the son of legendary NFL linebacker Joey Porter, is at a contract impasse with his current team, and things are starting to get ugly.
Enter the Commanders.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport called the Commanders the top trade destination for Porter, who Spotrac projects has a market value of a 4-year, $109.6 million contract extension.
“Whether the Washington Commanders make a play for Porter essentially comes down to one thing — do the Commanders really believe they can contend in the NFC East this year?” Davenport wrote on September 18. “If the answer to that question is yes, then an argument can pretty easily be made for acquiring Porter. Last year, the Commanders fielded the fifth-worst pass defense in the NFL, allowing 242.5 yards per game. The team’s starting trio at cornerback is Sainristil, journeyman veteran Rasul Douglas and Amik Robertson. Amos started this season the same place he ended the last one—on injured reserve. With over $27 million in cap space, Washington has the wiggle room to extend Porter. And a trade for him may well be Washington’s last best chance to bolster a secondary that could be their undoing (again) in 2026.”
Is Porter Missing Games With Fugazi Injury Issues?
There’s little belief Porter actually has the publicly stated “back issues” that kept him out of the Steelers’ season-opening win over the Atlanta Falcons — or that he has the “back issues” that forced him to leave practice this week before they play the New England Patriots in Week 2.
The Steelers, to their credit, have stopped playing along as Porter battles with the front office over getting paid.
“Steelers no longer listening Joey Porter Jr. as having a back injury,” ESPN’S Brooke Pryor wrote on her official X account on September 6. “Instead his ‘injury’ listed is ‘conditionining.’ ”
What Would it Cost to Trade for Joey Porter Jr.?
The cost to bring Porter Jr. to the Commanders would be something along the lines of a 2027 3rd-round pick or a 2028 2nd-round pick.
“Porter has maintained his desire to be compensated as a top-level corner, a position that has seen five players reach or eclipse the $30 million per year mark since the start of last offseason, including a record-setting four-year, $133 million contract for Seattle Seahawks star Devon Witherspoon,” Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay wrote on August 25. “While Porter probably won’t reset the market, he’s due for a major raise over the $4 million in base salary he’s due in 2026. The corner has been a lynchpin in Pittsburgh’s secondary since being drafted No. 32 overall in 2023. In that span, the second-rounder has appeared in 41 games — starting 41 — and recorded 165 tackles, 31 pass defenses and three interceptions.”
Washington Commanders Urged to Trade for Projected $110 Million AFC Star