Just about everybody who is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan is sick and tired of the Joey Porter Jr. saga. The problem is it keeps getting more complicated. Monday brought a fresh round of developments that only deepened the uncertainty surrounding the standout cornerback’s future with the organization.

Per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers made a significant financial commitment to try to lock Porter up long term. Dulac reported:

“Porter rejected the Steelers’ final contract offer of slightly more than $27 million annually. It would appear to make little sense he would then return to play for the $3.9 million he is scheduled to earn in the final year of his current contract.”

That last part is Dulac projecting a bit, but it raises a fair point. If Porter said no to $27 million per year, why would he suit up under the terms of a deal worth a fraction of that? To be fair to Porter and his representatives, we don’t know what the rest of that contract looked like. There has been plenty of discussion about guarantees beyond Year 1, and where the real sticking point lies. The truth is, Dulac makes a valid observation. If Porter decided a $27 million annual deal wasn’t enough, the idea that he’d willingly play out the final year of his current contract feels unlikely, even if the Steelers want him to.

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The back injury adds another layer

The financial standoff is only part of the equation. Porter is also dealing with a back injury that has clouded his availability. Steelers coach Mike McCarthy was asked about Porter at his Monday press conference and largely stuck to the same line he has maintained. McCarthy said Porter had a back issue that flared up during the week and that the team decided to hold him out. He added that he didn’t know about Porter’s availability one way or the other going forward.

The Steelers, however, are internally expecting Porter to be cleared and ready to go, at least according to reporting from Adam Schefter. Meanwhile, Porter is reportedly seeking a second opinion on the back issue, which only adds to the murkiness of the entire situation.

A growing distraction Pittsburgh doesn’t need

So the immediate question becomes: what exactly is going on here?

The Steelers offered Porter north of $27 million annually, and he turned it down. McCarthy says the back flared up, but the organization believes he’s fit enough to play. Porter is pursuing a second opinion. None of these threads point in the same direction, and the result is a situation that continues to take weird twists and turns with no clear resolution in sight.

The bottom line is this has turned into a giant mess and a legitimate distraction for a Steelers team coming off a blowout loss to the New England Patriots. Pittsburgh would like Porter on the field. He is their best cornerback. But between the contract impasse and the injury questions, there’s no guarantee it will happen anytime soon. Either Porter and the Steelers find common ground financially, or this situation spirals further into one of the ugliest standoffs the franchise has dealt with in years. Stay tuned.