When it comes to veteran quarterbacks who could potentially move the needle for the Pittsburgh Steelers, there is nobody more intriguing than Matthew Stafford. He’s a year older than Russell Wilson, but he was still playing like a top 10 quarterback last year.
His contract negotiation with the Los Angeles Rams was contentious last offseason and didn’t get done until late July. They are right back in the same boat this offseason with decisions to be made, and some think it could ultimately lead to the Rams trading Stafford.
According to NFL insider Albert Breer, Stafford wants to stay put.
“The Steelers, to me, remain the most attractive destination for an older veteran quarterback like Matthew Stafford or Rodgers,” Breer wrote via SI.com. “As for whether or not Stafford will be available? I know some folks close to him think that he ultimately wants to remain in Los Angeles and play for Sean McVay. We’ll see if the Rams can work out the contract part of this, which will determine what’s next.”
For a 37-year-old veteran in the final few years of his career, it would make the most sense to remain with the Rams. They have a brilliant offensive mind with McVay and a young weapon like Puka Nacua to work with. The only thing that sows some doubt in the matter is the fact that the Rams are looking to trade WR Cooper Kupp, who has been one of Stafford’s favorite weapons for years.
Stafford’s wife even made a comment on her podcast after the Kupp news that they “aren’t scared of going elsewhere.” While that may be true, that doesn’t mean his preference is to go elsewhere.
If the Rams do look to trade Stafford, they would likely want to do that before free agency so they can have both free agency and the draft to address the future of the position. I don’t know why a team would willingly plunge themselves into quarterback purgatory with Stafford around, but there has been at least a little smoke to think it’s possible.
Stafford completed 65.8 percent of his passes last season for 3,762 yards, along with 20 TDs and eight INTs. He accomplished that with both Kupp and Nacua missing for large chunks of the season and had a respectable 6.59 adjusted net yards per passing attempt.
The Steelers might be the “best” option for him if he does end up moving on, but that doesn’t make them a great option. He would be going from McVay to the anemic offense of the Steelers with several questions about the offensive line, receiving corps, and running back room to answer this offseason.
