The Lions suddenly have the money, the need, the right roster setup, the right financial setup, It’s time to call Pittsburgh about Joey Porter Jr. Here’s why they actually might
Detroit has the cap room, Pittsburgh is listening on Porter, and the Lions have never been better positioned to spend premium draft capital on a proven player.
I keep talking about it. I know Lions fans have noticed me bringing this up on social media, and I don’t usually do this. I’m not usually the guy telling you the Detroit Lions need to go out and make a big trade for a big-time player. I’m usually the guy telling you why they’re not going to do that.
This time is different. I’m telling you three things. One, I think the Lions should do it. Two, I think the Lions want to do it. Three, I think the Lions are actively looking into doing it. I’m talking about calling up the Pittsburgh Steelers and trading for cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
Why the Lions should make this trade
Was Detroit’s secondary horrible in the season opener? No, I don’t think it was. I think a lot of Lions fans might come out of that game and believe it was, and they’ll point to the stats. But look at what the Lions did to the Saints’ run game. When you shut down the run like that, all the opponent can do is pass. That’s exactly what the Lions defense wants to be. They want to stop you on the ground and make you one-dimensional. Of course that’s going to inflate the passing numbers.
DJ Reed played a good game. Rock Ya-Sin played a good enough game. But do I think the Lions would be in a better situation with Ya-Sin coming off the bench and Joey Porter next to Reed? Absolutely. 100%.
Why I think the Lions want to do it
I got tripped up early in this Lions run. I thought because Brad Holmes came from a front office with Les Snead, and because Snead was his mentor, that he would be just as aggressive as Snead. I’ll never forget, The Athletic’s Jordan Rodrigue, who was the Rams beat writer at the time, talked about how she thought the Lions would follow the same path the Rams did. Holmes would build through the draft for a few years and then start making the big trades.
He did all that. He built through the draft. Some people would say he has made some big trades, and he has made trades. The Carlton Davis trade was not small. The Za’Darius Smith trade was not small. But let’s call it what it is. Holmes has never made a major blockbuster move. He just hasn’t.
Why I think the Lions are actively looking at it
Detroit just made a big cap move that opened up $35 million. Yes, the Lions were not cap compliant. They were about $3 million over the cap before that restructure hit Thursday or Friday. They needed to make some move. They didn’t need to open $35 million. You might look at the past and say they came into last season with about $30 million, and about $21 million the year before that. Carrying a lot of money isn’t abnormal for the Lions. What is abnormal is making a gigantic move right before the season starts to accrue that money. Everything else, they’ve always just come in with it.
The Lions are gearing up for something. This is the best spot they have ever been in to make a trade like this. You go back and look at the Maxx Crosby stuff, the Trey Hendrickson situation, all of that. There has never been a situation that has come along that is better than this one. Joey Porter is a great cornerback. He’s available. The Steelers are not going to keep him. Teams are going to offer first-round picks, and I believe the Lions are one of those teams.
What would the Lions even use that 1st-round pick for?
Here’s why I believe Detroit would trade a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. What do the Lions need that pick for? Honestly, think about it. This is going to be a heavy quarterback draft, and I do believe the Lions will look at a quarterback. They don’t need to get that guy in the first round. This is going to be one of the deepest quarterback drafts in a very long time, assuming everybody comes out as expected.
Left guard? Christian Mahogany is good. Ben Bartsch is good. They’re set on that offensive line. They don’t need a receiver. They don’t need tight ends. They don’t need running backs in the first round. Edge rushers? Derrick Moore, DJ Wonnum, and they’ve got a plan. The defensive line is in good shape. Linebackers? They just drafted Jimmy Rolder. Safety? Maybe you can make some arguments there, but Brian Branch is coming back. The Lions could realistically get by with Avonte Maddox, Thomas Harper, or Chuck Clark. They could find somebody in free agency without spending a first-round pick on a safety.
So what are you going to draft with that pick? Probably a cornerback. Are you going to get a cornerback in the first round who’s better than Joey Porter? No.
Call up Pittsburgh. Offer the first-round pick. Throw in a late one, too. A first and a fifth for Porter and a sixth or something like that. I guarantee you the Steelers would say yes.
The contract isn’t a dealbreaker
You start thinking about how the Lions would pay Porter, because he’s going to want a contract. Detroit also has to pay Branch and Sam LaPorta. That’s fair. But consider this: when you sign a player to a new contract, you’re not paying him all that money right here in 2026. You’re still very largely paying him what he’s already due in 2026, which is not a lot. Look at Jack Campbell’s deal. Look at Jahmyr Gibbs’ deal. You can’t tell me that the way this team organizes contracts, they can’t make this happen to pay Branch, LaPorta, and Porter all at the same time. They can absolutely do that.
Who else do they have to pay after that? That’s it. Terrion Arnold’s gone. He would have been the guy you might have had to pay. Who are you extending from that 2024 draft class? Nobody. Maybe Mahogany. Other than that, this team is set up in a million different ways.
If there were ever a time in this franchise’s history with Brad Holmes as the general manager to make a deal, if the Lions were ever set up in a better way, it’s right now. This is when you call the Steelers and offer that first-round pick for Joey Porter.
I think the Lions are thinking about it. Is it going to happen in the next few days before Buffalo? I don’t know. Probably not. Maybe before New York, though. Porter didn’t play Week 1 for the Steelers. You think he’s got some sort of injury. I don’t think he does. The Steelers are gearing up for a trade.
For the first time ever, if you put a gun to my head and asked me whether the Lions are really going to do this, I’m saying yes. We’ll see what happens.
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