The Pittsburgh Steelers and former second-round cornerback Joey Porter Jr. appear to be in the midst of a contract standoff. Porter is currently on the PUP as he awaits a new deal, but that deal might not be coming. So, there are some teams that could be calling to acquire Porter, per Jordan Schultz. One of those teams might be the Chicago Bears.
#Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. is a name multiple teams around the NFL have wondered about as a potential trade target, per sources.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 21, 2026
JPJ is in the final year of his rookie contract, and with where the CB market is, teams have wondered if Pittsburgh could ultimately be open to a… pic.twitter.com/0t1CX9laOQ
Chicago Bears could call the Pittsburgh Steelers for Joey Porter Jr.
If you have been following Bears training camp, you know that the team has plenty of questions in the secondary entering the year. They have tried to make a few big splashes to improve the room, but big-name addition Coby Bryant will be out for most of the year at safety.
So, the move could be to upgrade the cornerback room with another big name.
Jaylon Johnson is locked into his job on the outside. However, Tyrique Stevenson has been a major question mark beside him since he entered the NFL. Stevenson is from the same draft and went 24 picks after Porter.
The Bears could try to move on from Stevenson, who is also in the last year of his deal, and add Porter. Chicago also has Terell Smith from the same draft class, and he has the same contract situation.
Whether it be Stevenson or Smith, the Bears have two cornerbacks they could offer Pittsburgh in similar situations to Porter. The Steelers could start one of them next year, and if they like them, they can extend them for much less than what Porter was asking for.
This could also limit some of the draft equity, although the Bears would certainly still have to attach a notable pick to Stevenson or Smith to get a deal done for Porter.
This would put a funny little loop on the end of a trade that has been deemed one of the worst in the Ryan Poles era. The Bears GM traded a second round pick to the Steelers for Chase Claypool in 2022. Claypool was a dud; the Bears did not win any games, and the pick became the 32nd overall pick. The Steelers took Porter with the pick.
Claypool has not been in the NFL since 2023, and the Steelers are asking for multiple draft picks back for their rising star, who is looking for a big contract. It would be a nice way for Poles to redeem the lost trade by recouping the player who was selected with their original pick.
| More Bears on DaWindyCity |
Add us as a preferred source on Google