The odds of QB Matthew Stafford joining the Pittsburgh Steelers have taken a hit. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, the Steelers haven’t spoken to Stafford’s camp and likely aren’t interested in backing up the money truck to meet his contact demands. Dulac weighed in on Twitter/X Tuesday morning.
“That includes possible trade for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who has been given permission to talk to other teams to gauge his market value,” Dulac shared. “The Steelers have not talked to Stafford, and it is unlikely they would pay more than his current salary ($27 million) anyway.”
Dulac’s initial tweet responded to Omar Khan Tuesday’s comments of keeping “all options on the table” when it comes to quarterback, a line he repeated throughout interviews with the local and national media. Pittsburgh’s yet to solidify its 2025 starter. Khan repeated owner Art Rooney II’s mantra of wanting to re-sign either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields though there’s no guarantee either will return.
If not, Pittsburgh would need to wade through a questionable group of external options. Stafford, if even truly available, is easily the most talented quarterback on the market. He’s also the most expensive. Reportedly, he’s seeking a new contract worth at least $50 million per season to make him a top-10 paid quarterback in football. His play might still warrant it but at 37 with potential diminishing returns, it’s an open question how much longer he’ll be a top-tier arm. As Kirk Cousins showed, quarterbacks can quickly fall off the cliff and leave teams stuck with bad contracts.
Ultimately, it’s most likely Wilson or Fields pick up where they left off. For as much intrigue and media buzz over Stafford, Aaron Rodgers, and other veteran names, Pittsburgh prefers to keep continuity and create some semblance of stability with a returning quarterback instead of constantly adding someone from the outside.
No matter who the team chooses for the present, the true long-term answer for the franchise is likely in high school or college, needed to be drafted in the first round just as Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger were.
