Father and son Joey Porter share Pittsburgh, but not a position
Joey Porter Sr. made his name rushing quarterbacks in No. 55. His son grew up on the same sideline and became a cover corner in No. 24. Here is how the two careers fit together.
In the years after 2014, at Steelers training camp, a teenage ball boy kept lining up across from Antonio Brown in one-on-one drills. The ball boy was Joey Porter Jr., and his father was on the coaching staff, according to ESPN. I have read a lot of father-and-son draft stories, and that is the detail I would keep from this one: the son was practicing coverage in the building where his dad had made a living chasing quarterbacks.
So yes, if you are here because you searched the name: Joey Porter Jr. is the son of Joey Porter, the Steelers linebacker. Same name, same team. Very different job.
The father: No. 55, a pass rusher
Pittsburgh drafted Joey Porter Sr. out of Colorado State in the third round in 1999, 73rd overall. He switched to No. 55 just before his first regular season, partly to honor his childhood hero Junior Seau. He played outside linebacker for the Steelers from 1999 through 2006, won Super Bowl XL, and made three Pro Bowls in Pittsburgh, then added a fourth during three seasons with the Miami Dolphins, per Steelers.com. He finished with 98 career sacks and a spot on the NFL's 2000s All-Decade team.
After retiring, he spent five seasons on the Steelers coaching staff, four of them as outside linebackers coach from 2015 to 2018. In December 2025 the club inducted him into its Hall of Honor. "I feel like I am a Steeler," he said then, which I suspect nobody in Pittsburgh ever doubted. At the Hall of Honor dinner at Acrisure Stadium on December 14, 2025, he spent much of his time talking about old teammates. "These are my guys that helped make all this possible," he said, per Steelers.com.
The son: No. 24, a cover corner
Joey Porter Jr. was born on July 26, 2000, in Bakersfield, California, a year after his father's pro career began. ESPN reported he spent the first seven years of his childhood running around the Steelers' sidelines. He returned to Pittsburgh when his father joined the staff in 2014, played two high school seasons at North Allegheny and two at Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, and then went to Penn State.
His best college day was a corner's day, not a pass rusher's. At Purdue on September 1, 2022, he broke up six passes, a career high, according to Steelers.com. Pittsburgh drafted him 32nd overall in 2023.
| Joey Porter Sr. | Joey Porter Jr. | |
|---|---|---|
| Position | Outside linebacker | Cornerback |
| Steelers number | 55 | 24 |
| Drafted | 1999, round 3, No. 73 | 2023, round 2, No. 32 |
| Core job | Get to the quarterback | Stay with the receiver |
| Signature number | 98 career sacks | 49.1 passer rating allowed in 2025 |
The Miami thread in both careers
Here is the coincidence we enjoyed most. The father spent 2007 through 2009 with the Dolphins. In 2023 his son was picked 32nd, a spot that usually closes the first round, but the NFL had taken Miami's 2023 first-round pick away over tampering. So the son's selection counted as a second-round pick. And the father's Hall of Honor moment came at halftime of a Monday night game against, of all teams, the Dolphins on December 15, 2025.
None of that means anything, strictly. The draft-slot part does have a real cost, though: a second-round deal carries no fifth-year option, which is part of why the son's contract talks got tense this year. Our main piece covers that side.
What the son said on draft night
On April 28, 2023, Porter walked into the Steelers facility as a draftee for the first time. "It's like a stroll in the park," he said, per ESPN. "I kind of already knew everything about this facility." ESPN's Brooke Pryor wrote that he said it with "a big grin plastered on his face." He also drew a clear line: "It's going to be my flavor to it. It's me, it's not him."
And then, to Steelers.com, the sentence that squares both halves: the draft slide "gives me greater inspiration to put on for Steelers Nation and my Pops." The name came from his father. The position, the number, and the way he plays it are his own.
Sources
Every factual claim above traces to one of these. Links open in a new tab.
- Steelers select Joey Porter Jr. in second round of NFL draft
- Steelers select Joey Porter Jr. in the second round
- Steelers welcome a new Hall of Honor Class
- A night to honor three Steelers legends
- Steelers to honor 3 legends on Monday Night Football vs. Dolphins
- Joey Porter
- Joey Porter Jr.
- Dolphins lose 2023 first-round draft pick, owner Stephen Ross suspended following independent investigation
- Steelers' Joey Porter Jr. 'definitely' sees himself playing for Pittsburgh in 2026
