We finally may have a better idea of how far Brad Holmes was willing to go to bring Joey Porter Jr. to Detroit.
The Detroit Lions were legitimately involved in negotiations with the Pittsburgh Steelers before Porter was traded to the Dallas Cowboys, something Dan Campbell publicly confirmed after the deal. Now, a new report provides our clearest indication yet of what Detroit may have been willing to put on the table.
Lions May Have Offered Third-Round Pick Plus More
According to Colton Pouncy of The Athletic, the Lions’ likely price range was a third-round selection accompanied by another Day 3 draft pick. Pouncy described that combination as what appeared to be the potential “sweet spot” for a Detroit-Pittsburgh agreement.
“It felt like the sweet spot for a Lions-Steelers trade would’ve been a third-round pick and a Day 3 pick,” Pouncy wrote. “The Cowboys offered a second and a sixth.”
There’s an important distinction here: there still has not been confirmation that Detroit formally offered those exact picks. Campbell never disclosed Holmes’ offer, and Pouncy’s wording indicates an assessment of where a deal could have landed rather than reporting a confirmed trade package.
That means it would be premature to say Pittsburgh rejected a third-round pick and Day 3 selection from Detroit. What we can say is that the latest information gives us a much better idea of the territory Holmes may have been operating in.
Cowboys Were Willing to Go Higher
Dallas ultimately won the bidding by sending Pittsburgh a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick, compensation that ended Detroit’s pursuit of the 26-year-old cornerback. The delayed second-rounder is interesting because a pick two drafts into the future carries less immediate value than one coming in 2027, but Pittsburgh still gets the premium-round selection it apparently wanted.
For Holmes, beating Dallas’ package likely would have meant moving into second-round territory or adding enough additional value to make a third-round-based offer more attractive. That would have represented a significant departure from the relatively conservative approach Detroit has generally taken with premium draft capital in veteran trades.
There was another factor Holmes had to consider, and it may have been every bit as important as the draft picks.
Porter is playing out the final year of his rookie contract and is positioned for a potentially enormous extension. Detroit therefore wasn’t simply deciding whether Porter was worth a second-round pick; Holmes had to decide whether Porter was worth premium draft capital plus the financial commitment necessary to keep him in Detroit.
Brad Holmes Appears to Have Drawn His Line
Campbell’s comments make it clear that this wasn’t simply a phone call to check Pittsburgh’s asking price.
“Brad was on it for a while. That’s been ongoing, and everything has to align right. The Cowboys did what they wanted to do, but we were very much in on it,” Campbell said Friday.
Those words matter even more in light of the latest information. Detroit apparently wanted Porter badly enough to remain involved deep into the process, but Holmes also appears to have reached a point where the combined cost of draft compensation and Porter’s future contract became too steep.
That’s classic Holmes.
The Lions have built their roster largely through drafting, developing and retaining their own players, and several more expensive decisions are approaching. Brian Branch and Sam LaPorta are among the young foundational pieces Detroit eventually will have to address, making every major outside contract part of a much larger financial equation.
Missing Porter Tells Us Something About What’s Next
There is another takeaway here that shouldn’t get lost.
Detroit’s willingness to seriously pursue Porter suggests Holmes sees room for improvement at cornerback. The Lions have D.J. Reed, Roger McCreary, Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Rock Ya-Sin and others available, but exploring a major investment in Porter indicates the front office was willing to significantly alter that room for the right player.
That’s why several other cornerbacks have already emerged as possible Detroit trade targets. Missing Porter doesn’t necessarily mean Holmes is finished shopping, particularly with plenty of time remaining before the NFL trade deadline.
The newest information also gives Lions fans something they didn’t have immediately after the trade.
Holmes apparently wasn’t prepared to match Dallas’ second-round price, but Detroit’s interest was much more than casual.
And if a third-rounder plus another pick really was somewhere near Holmes’ limit, we now have a pretty good idea of what the Lions believe a major secondary upgrade is worth.
