Jerry Jones backs Dallas Cowboys into a corner once again with Joey Porter Jr. trade

The Dallas Cowboys under Jerry Jones have become one of the franchises least afraid to pull off a trade. In fact, Jones seems to revel in trade talks and contract negotiations; probably because it keeps the Cowboys in the national spotlight.

With anoth er high-profile player on the trade block, Jones couldn’t help but float a trade offer to the Pittsburgh Steelers for cornerback Joey Porter Jr . Porter had been in a standoff with the Steelers, hoping to get a big new contract . That didn’t come to fruition, and Pittsburgh sent him to Dallas for a 2027 sixth-round pick and 2028 second-round pick .

At 26 years old with a near-first-round pedigree and three solid NFL seasons under his belt, Porter could end up being a great pickup for a Cowboys defense that's still struggling . But once again, Jones has parted ways with draft capital for a high-profile player without having a contract extension in place.

Dallas Cowboys repeat the George Pickens trade-franchise tag pickle with Joey Porter Jr.

The same exact thing happened with George Pickens last season. Many expected the team to give Pickens an extension to facilitate the trade; instead, Pickens played on the last year of his rookie contract and had easily the best season of his career . Pickens is playing under the franchise tag for the 2026 season, but he will surely want a huge contract next offseason .

Porter is going to want the same, since his rookie deal expires after this season . That will put the Cowboys in another indecisive position. They will probably have to choose between Pickens or Porter to play on the franchise tag . The issue is that Porter has already shown he's willing to hold out for a contract, and Pickens surely won't be pleased to play on the tag for a second straight year .

Trading for Porter with a contract extension in place would have made more sense for Jones and the Cowboys, but this is the way they do business now.