The Dallas Cowboys finally landed cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it wasn’t a cheap get, and it came with some serious long-term calculations for Dallas. Cowboys Executive V.P. Stephen Jones confirmed the team spent significant time negotiating with the Steelers to make the deal happen, and it only went through once Pittsburgh dropped its initial asking price.
The Price Was Right, Eventually
Jones didn’t mince words when talking about the initial discussions for Porter Jr. He said on 105.3 The Fan that what the Steelers were looking for early on was “a little hefty” and more than the Cowboys were willing to give up. Clearly, Dallas played a patient game, and it paid off. They eventually got the Steelers to lower the price to a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick. Jones summed it up, saying, “Early on the price was a little hefty for us, then it got to a point where we could deal with it.” It sounds like a classic negotiation, with Dallas waiting for the value to align with their budget.
Already Planning for a Potential Goodbye
Here’s the kicker, though: Dallas knows there’s a real chance Porter Jr. could be a rental. Jones confirmed they understand he might leave in free agency after this season. But the Cowboys have a plan for that, too. They’re banking on getting a 2028 compensatory pick if Porter Jr. walks, likely a third or fourth-round selection. This, according to Jones, would “largely make up for losing the 2028 second-round pick they traded. “We had to have that trade make sense if Joey left after this year,” Jones explained. “That’s why the 2 in ’28 matches up with a compensatory pick. If he did leave we’d probably get a 3 or a 4 for him and get that back for Joey in ’28 when that 2 is in place. So it made a lot of sense. It protected us.” It’s a calculated risk, bringing in a talent like Porter Jr. for what could be a single season, but with an exit strategy already baked into the deal.
So, Porter Jr. is in Dallas, but his long-term future is far from guaranteed. The Cowboys paid up, but only after some serious haggling, and they’ve already got their eye on the compensatory pick system if he bolts after this season. It’ll be fascinating to see how Porter Jr. performs and if Dallas’s calculated risk pays off.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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