Cowboys trade for Joey Porter Jr. with Steelers called an overpay by 'many' around NFL

9 hours ago 4

The Dallas Cowboys, looking to avoid a 1-3 start to the season, putting their 2026 playoff chances at great risk, swung a big trade for Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. before Week 4.

It's an aggressive move from Jerry Jones and company, especially with the 2028 second-round pick and 2027 sixth-round pick price tag. But they've landed a quality cornerback who should be a big help on defense this season.

In the eyes of "many around the league," however, this was an overpay. Jonathan Jones of The Athletic shared some of the reactions from around the NFL about this trade, which revealed why this trade was seen as an overpay by the Cowboys.

Cowboys 'overpaid' for Joey Porter Jr., according to NFL insiders

"Many around the league believed Dallas overpaid, based largely on the belief that teams don't view Porter as a top-tier corner," Jones writes.

This viewpoint from those around the league isn't a surprise, as there was reporting before the trade was announced that teams didn't view Porter as a player worth top-tier cornerback money.

While players are landing $30 million or more per-year deals, Porter seemingly isn't in the same tier, at least according to the opinion of some teams around the NFL.

Trading a second- and a sixth-round pick for Porter is a lot to give up, especially for a rental who the Cowboys might not even be able to re-sign before he hits the open market.

Even if he does leave in free agency, they're sure to land a third-round compensatory pick, which shouldn't be too far off from where their 2028 second-rounder will wind up after next season.

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The trade for Porter comes with risk, but the deal itself was also not one many in the NFL were big fans of, including one anonymous executive.

According to Jones, one executive whose team was "erroneously tied" to a Porter trade this season said that "They were bidding against themselves for Porter."

The Cowboys were able to land Porter in a trade with the Steelers, but they might not have had to give up such strong draft pick capital.

While there might be some around the NFL who aren't big fans of this trade for the Cowboys, considering their 1-2 record and how this team isn't getting any younger, a trade for Porter, even at this price, is a fine overpay to make.

Even if he does leave in free agency, they're sure to land a third-round compensatory pick, which shouldn't be too far off from where their 2028 second-rounder will wind up after next season.