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The Pittsburgh Steelers’ decision to make Joey Porter Jr. inactive for their Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons has only added more questions to an already complicated situation. Porter has missed significant time since beginning his contract-related hold-in and the Steelers have maintained that he is dealing with a back injury.
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However, speculation surrounding the situation continues to grow, with some questioning whether Porter is actually injured or using the injury as a way to continue his contract standoff with the team.
That speculation received more buzz from Mark Kaboly, who shared his perspective on Porter’s situation during his Kaboly + Mack podcast. Kaboly suggested that Porter does not have a significant enough injury and that the reported back issue could be serving as a cover-up.
“From everything I know, [Joey Porter Jr.] is not hurt. He could have a tweak or something, but everything you hear is that he has been ramping up. He has missed so much time from his hold-in. No one in the organization believes he has a significant injury. It is just used as cover to help him out. I think it is on Porter that he didn’t play. The information comes from the agent, and if it comes out that a team is willing to trade for him, it is used to try to push the Steelers to change their mind.” Kaboly said.
Porter Only Has Leverage For One Thing: A Trade
The Steelers have made their stance clear when it comes to contract negotiations: There will be no in-season extension talks. Regardless of how anyone feels about that policy, it has been in place for a long time and has generally worked for the organization.
Porter could ride out the rest of the season with his “back injury,” but doing so would make it increasingly difficult to view the situation as anything other than a “hold-in.” The reality is that there is little leverage left in a hold-in or holdout at this point. Porter’s clearest remaining avenue would be pushing for a trade.
That possibility cannot be ruled out. However, it also does not appear to be an inevitable path for either side. Pittsburgh could make such a move if another team offers strong enough compensation. That is the biggest question, though: Who would be willing to meet the Steelers’ demands?
No one outside the organization truly knows what those demands are or might be. If Pittsburgh were to move Porter, the compensation would presumably need to be significant, potentially including a first-round pick. Of course, all of this depends on whether the Steelers actually decide to make him available.
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Will The Steelers Actually Trade Porter?
There are two scenarios in which the Steelers could eventually pull the trigger on a trade.
First, Porter would have to become a distraction. Right now, despite missing a game, the entire preseason and much of the offseason dating back to OTAs, he has not reached that point. Porter has continued participating in team activities and appears to be doing enough to avoid further disciplinary issues. He has not publicly bad-mouthed the team, created drama on social media or otherwise turned the situation into a major distraction.
As things stand, the distraction factor does not appear to be driving the situation.
Then there is the other possibility: trade-deadline desperation. Porter remains a talented young cornerback, and another team could become desperate enough to meet the Steelers’ asking price at the trade deadline. That scenario becomes more plausible if Porter is still missing games at that point.
It cannot be ruled out, but there are still plenty of variables involved. If that situation develops, Steelers general manager Omar Khan will likely keep his cards close to the chest. Pittsburgh would have little reason to rush into a deal and could wait until the trade deadline to maximize Porter’s value.
Ultimately, this situation could have been avoided, but it is the reality the Steelers now face. The Week 2 inactive list could provide the biggest indication yet of how this situation is going to unfold.
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This story was originally published September 16, 2026 at 5:00 AM.