Bears Should Call Steelers After Latest Joey Porter Jr. Trade Rumor

There appears to be a chance that the Pittsburgh Steelers will trade Joey Porter Jr., and if that's the case, the Chicago Bears should be making a call.

A new report from ESPN's Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport dropped on Sunday morning and it details the possibility for Pittsburgh to trade Porter as the two sides continue to have struggles working out a contract extension.

The report notes that Porter is open to the idea of playing for another team, and the Steelers are open to trading him.

"Sources say Porter, who had previously requested a trade from the Steelers , is open to playing elsewhere, and an early-season trade is very possible," the ESPN reporters said.

"The Steelers have been open to listening to offers for Porter, sources say," they added. "But there has not been notable interest at Pittsburgh's asking price of a premium draft pick -- possibly in the first round -- and no serious trade talks have developed despite the Steelers' willingness to deal him."

Why Bears need help at cornerback

Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. — Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (29) warms up during Minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bears are rock-solid at one boundary spot with Jaylon Johnson, but Tyrique Stevenson is shaky on the other side.

Stevenson has been inconsistent during his career, and so much so that he was benched last season. Chicago did draft Malik Muhammad to potentially be the future on the outside, but Muhammad remains unproven.

Chicago is coming off a season in which it finished with the 11th-worst pass defense, so major improvement is needed if the Bears want to take that next step in 2026.

Adding Porter Jr. would be just what the doctor ordered to bolster the Bears' secondary and he would give Chicago one of the best one-two punches at cornerback in the NFL.

What a Bears-Steelers trade would look like

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) watches the game against the Green Bay Packers during the second half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Steelers are almost certainly going to be asking for a first-round pick. Whether or not they get it remains to be seen, but we're skeptical they will given the fact that Porter needs an extension, also.

The Bears do have each of their first-round picks over the next two years, and they have all of their Day 2 picks, too, so draft capital is not a problem.

When it comes to a new deal, Porter is probably looking at one that pays him somewhere around $30 million annually over four years. The top of the market is Christian Gonzalez, who banks an annual average of $33.75 million.

The Bears have minimal cap space right now with just $5 million, per Over The Cap, and they aren't slated to have a great cap situation in 2027, either, with an estimated $10.3 million.

But the Bears can restructure deals to make room for Porter now and in 2027, and they can backload an extension to push the bigger cap hits to 2028 and beyond.

The Bears are projected to have $238 million in space in 2028. Of course, Chicago won't actually have that much by the time 2028 rolls around, but that shows the team will have a much better financial situation in a few years.

There's no doubt a lot that goes into a trade for Porter, but now is the time to strike, not only because the team is in win-now mode, but also because Caleb Williams is still on a rookie deal for two more seasons after this one.

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