Joey Porter Jr. Looks Forward to Getting Revenge on George Pickens Someday: ‘I’m On That’
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. had a welcome to the NFL moment when George Pickens made a one-handed catch over him at training camp in 2023. The catch went viral on social media.
During a recent appearance on The Blueprint Podcast , Porter explained how Pickens and Diontae Johnson helped him grow as a cornerback.
“The battles I had with George Pickens and Diontae, that really just shaped me for getting ready for the league. Even that catch he had, I was hot. I was there after practice. I was on the field. Trapped him, put hands on him, everything was perfect,” Porter said of Pickens’ viral catch on him. “He just made a great-ass play, and that’s when I said, ‘Okay, some of these dudes is like that.’ We had good bump at practice, and they don’t post what I be doing.”
Porter is chomping at the bit to play Pickens, who’s now with the Dallas Cowboys .
“But Imma see him soon when we play Dallas, so it’s gonna be fun. For surely, it’s gonna be fun. I’m on that. I’m not having that. Definitely not that,” Porter said.
The Steelers don’t play Dallas this year and are not scheduled to until 2028. So unless Pickens gets traded, the matchup will have to wait for three years.
Porter allowed zero touchdowns in 2025. In his three-year career, Porter has allowed only one touchdown , and that came in his first career start in Week 8 of the 2023 season. That touchdown is also disputed, as Porter was in Cover 2.
Since that game, Porter has played 1,417 consecutive snaps in coverage without allowing a touchdown, the longest active streak among cornerbacks and more than twice as long as the next closest streak, according to Matt Williamson of Steelers.com .
Porter, 25, took his game to another level this season. In 14 games, the third-year cornerback recorded 52 tackles, his first career sack, one interception and a career-high 14 passes defended.
Porter feels like he’s overlooked when it comes to the best cornerbacks in the NFL.
”That’s what people really harp on my game about, is the PI’s and penalties?” Porter said on The Blueprint Podcast . “But it’s like, y’all hold no other DB under that microscope or grade them under just [how many penalties they get]. I haven’t gave up a touchdown in three years. Not one. No wide receiver put over 50, 60 yards on my head alone. And I travel with the best of them. And they want to talk about penalties.”
Porter noted that his penalties were significantly down in 2025 compared to 2024 when he had a league-high 17 penalties.
“Even to bring up penalties this year – I had five, which equaled out to 50-something yards,” Porter said. “You’re saying I’m not top 5 because I had 50 yards in penalties? Like that’s crazy.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Joey Porter Jr. Looks Forward to Getting Revenge on George Pickens Someday: ‘I’m On That’
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