The Pittsburgh Steelers and Joey Porter Jr. are at odds on regarding a contract extension. This means it can end one of three ways: He either gets traded at some point between now and the trade deadline, a deal gets done at some point during the season (though this is probably the least likely outcome) or the Steelers ride it out and franchise tag him at the beginning of next offseason. If they do decide to take the first route and trade him, there will be no shortage of suitors for his services — but teams like the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions are going to have to throw the house at Pittsburgh.
Considering his status as a rising young player at a premium position, current estimates suggest the price for Porter Jr. at one first-round pick plus either a player or late-round draft assets. All three of the teams above are in the position to go all in for a cornerback; that said, any move would likely come with a hefty extension, which complicates things a bit.
Chicago Bears
Phew, this is a haul for Pittsburgh. Still, the Bears shouldn’t hesitate too much on this deal. The most important factor here is the potential of 2026 draftee Malik Muhammad; if Chicago truly believes he can be a cornerstone in the secondary moving forward, there’s no reason not to pull the trigger. A secondary that has Tyrique Stevenson and Porter Jr. in addition to Muhammad would be one of the best in the NFL.
Johnson makes the most sense in return because 1) he's healthy and 2) the Bears would free up salary to extend Porter Jr. Because Porter Jr. has a lot of potential and is still just 25 years old, it would be worth the investment. Chicago didn’t budge on improving their pass rush this offseason, so improving their secondary is the next best option. Giving up a second-round pick and potential top-150 pick is simply the cost of doing business.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers aren’t in any position to take on yet another lucrative contract, but if Porter Jr. is an option, they have to at least be somewhat interested, right? To get a deal done with Pittsburgh, it’s going to be a hefty price, including two top-100 picks over the next two years and then offloading Benjamin St-Juste as well. St-Juste doesn’t have a lot of value, but he does give Pittsburgh cornerback depth, which has to be their ultimate goal if they trade Porter Jr.
The only reason Green Bay avoids a first-round pick in this situation is because they just gave up a first-rounder in the 2026 NFL Draft and another in 2027 as part of the Micah Parsons deal. There’s no way they’re giving up Philadelphia’s first-round pick as well, which they claimed via trade, and go consecutive drafts without a top-32 pick. I don’t think Pittsburgh would play hardball too much with the Packers, but Green Bay will have to offload some significant draft capital.
It makes sense for them to have to part ways with two top-100 picks and a player to get this deal done. The Packers need cornerback depth badly, but they don’t need to overpay either. This feels like a safe middle ground that keeps decent draft capital in their pocket but gives them immediate cornerback depth.
Detroit Lions
This is a massive haul for the Steelers. Frankly, the Lions don’t really have the depth to be offloading really any players right now, but they have all of their draft picks over the next two years so it makes sense for them to dip into that war chest to get immediate help in their depleted cornerback room. I was considering having them give up two top-100 picks, which they may need to do anyway, but settled for a fourth -round pick in addition to a first.
In all, the Steelers get three picks and get the chance to find their next Porter Jr., or at the very least, put themselves into position to be players for a quarterback in one of the deepest classes in quite some time. Detroit can’t whiff on the chance to quickly and meaningfully improve their cornerback room. Releasing Terrion Arnold is probably going to hurt them more than they realize, though it was of course understandable why they did so.
This team is injured all over the secondary right now, with rookie Keith Abney II as their starting corner opposite D.J. Reed. Porter Jr. might be their most reliable option to save them from a dreadful season for their defense.
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