49ers’ potential trade for a rising defensive star comes with major financial ramifications that could shape their roster beyond 2026
Joey Porter Jr. hasn’t reached a contract extension with the Steelers, which opens the door for interested teams to monitor the situation.
The San Francisco 49ers started the season on high notes, beating the Los Angeles Rams and the Miami Dolphins over the first two weeks. That sent a positive message about the current roster, but it could also incentivize general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan to be more aggressive to reinforce the team.
If the Pittsburgh Steelers can’t agree to a contract extension with cornerback Joey Porter Jr., it’s realistic to expect the Niners as one of the contending teams for a trade.
While the Niners have solid cornerbacks in Renardo Green and Deommodore Lenoir, that’s a position where defensive coordinator Raheem Morris would take advantage of having more talent. By trading for Porter, the Niners could play more nickel, for example, and even move Lenoir back to the slot. It’s complicated to give up draft capital and a big contract like this, but Porter is still a young player, and the first-rounder should not be great based on the talent level of the roster.
At this moment, the 49ers have $47.1 million in available cap space. So there’s plenty of room to absorb Porter’s current deal, reach an extension, and still rollover cap for the future.
Contract and pending extension situation
Joey Porter Jr. was the 32nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but he was actually a second-round pick because the Miami Dolphins forfeited their first-rounder due to violations of the anti-tampering policy for conversations with quarterback Tom Brady and coach Sean Payton.
So the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t have a fifth-year option on his rookie deal. Porter is now in the last year of his contract, making $3.924 million.
That means he makes $218,000 per week. If the Detroit Lions acquire him ahead of Week 3, for example, they would absorb $3.488 million.
Then, obviously, the Lions would have to negotiate a contract extension. Josh Queipo, who does contract projections at Pewter Report, estimates that Porter will get a three-year, $55.32 million contract, with $30.58 in guarantees and a $18.44 million yearly average. In total, that would be a four-year, $58.8 million deal in real money ($14.7 million per year). That’s a totally reasonable amount of money for a young, rising player, and the Lions could structure it in a way to backload the deal and lower the initial cap hit compared to future seasons.
Scheme fit is a question
The big question mark for the 49ers is a schematic one. Joey Porter has mostly been a good man corner, and Morris likes to run zone-heavy defenses. San Francisco’s willingness to pull the trigger on a trade like this, with draft compensation plus a significant extension, would certainly depend on the coaching staff’s level of trust in how Porter would be able to transition to their system throughout the regular season and beyond.
But for a team that started the regular season so well, being aggressive with these moves shouldn’t be out of the equation.
