The Steelers on Wednesday night agreed to trade Porter to the Cowboys for a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-rounder, sources confirmed to ESPN.
The trade marks the end of a monthslong saga that stretched throughout the offseason as Porter, one of the Steelers' 2023 second-round picks, awaited an extension and was sidelined by a back injury.
The heart of the dispute was the guaranteed money within the contract's structure, sources told ESPN, and the sides never made meaningful progress on agreeing to terms despite talks as late as hours before kickoff of the Steelers' Week 1 game against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Steelers then stopped talks because they don't negotiate during the regular season as a longstanding organizational principle.
Porter, who started 41 games and had three interceptions in three seasons, sat out all of training camp and the preseason after reporting an aggravation to the back injury during the team's mobility workout on the first day of camp.
He was put on the physically unable to perform list until roster cutdown day in late August.
He was a limited participant in every regular-season practice until earlier this week as coach Mike McCarthy said the cornerback was progressing through a 'ramp-up' phase during the first month of the season.
Cleveland Browns didn’t have to deal with Joey Porter Jr. versus the Steelers on TNF, now he is traded out of AFC North, per Yahoo Sports reporting.
The trade removes Porter from AFC North contention, altering the defensive landscape for the Steelers and their divisional rivals.
No further details about the Cowboys' plans for Porter or the Steelers' immediate defensive adjustments were disclosed in the sources.
This article synthesizes reporting from ESPN, Yahoo Sports. Top story: "Sources: Steelers to trade Joey Porter Jr. to Cowboys" (ESPN).