In just under three weeks, the start of the new NFL year will get underway. Free agents will move around from team to team, teams will get better or worse on paper, and general managers across the NFL will be moving and shaking, trying to improve their rosters top to bottom.
One such team and GM that could be doing that is the Pittsburgh Steelers and Omar Khan. Entering the offseason, the Steelers have significant needs across the board, including wide receiver, running back, defensive line and cornerback. Quarterback is the biggest need for the franchise though, which has the Steelers seemingly connected to almost every big-name free agent quarterback, trade candidate and draft prospect.
Knowing that, it’s no surprise that ESPN’s Aaron Schatz’s one bold prediction for the Steelers this offseason is that they’ll swing big at quarterback and do so by trading for the Los Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford.
“Stafford is still playing at a high level. He ranked sixth in QBR in 2023 and then 12th in 2024. Compare that to the Steelers’ two quarterbacks from last season. Stafford had 64.7 QBR, while Russell Wilson was at 51.3 (22nd) and Justin Fields was at 50.8 (not enough attempts to be ranked),” Schatz writes. “The Steelers ranked 13th in pass block win rate (62%) last season, which is important with an older pocket quarterback such as Stafford. Pittsburgh still needs to add receiving help, with both Van Jefferson and Mike Williams hitting free agency, but there would be hope that Stafford could truly activate the talents of George Pickens.
“Also, Stafford is a better fit for offensive coordinator Arthur Smith than Aaron Rodgers because of Stafford’s experience in Sean McVay’s play-action-heavy system with the Rams. The Steelers and Rams were both near the top of the league in using more conventional quarterback-under-center formations (31% of passes for each team).”
Theoretically, adding Matthew Stafford via trade would be monumental for the Steelers. He’s still a top-10 NFL quarterback, one who still has an elite-level arm, great accuracy, takes care of the football and is a great leader on and off the field.
Stafford is coming off a 2024 season in which he threw for 3,762 yards and 20 touchdowns to just eight interceptions in 16 games, sitting out the regular-season finale. In the playoffs, Stafford led the Rams to a 27-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card Round and then lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 28-22 in the Divisional Round. Across two playoff games, Stafford completed 63.4% of his passes for 533 yards and four touchdowns.
The problem is, he doesn’t seem to want to leave Los Angeles, and the reported asking price for Stafford is high, with NFL insider Jordan Schultz reporting the Rams want a first-round pick for Stafford via trade. That’s a high price considering Stafford is 37 and is only under contract for 2025 and 2026.
But the Steelers might not be that far off from contending for a Super Bowl, and landing a player like Stafford could accelerate that timeline. He’d fit in Arthur Smith’s play-action heavy offensive scheme, and is flat-out a better player than Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Aaron Rodgers, Sam Darnold and whatever other quarterback you want to connect to the Steelers.
If the price is right, the Steelers could swing big. But a first-round pick when they have so many needs seems like a steep asking price for the Black and Gold to pay. That said, Khan is aggressive, and with an aging defense, it might be the right time for the Steelers to flat-out go for it. A move for Stafford would signal that.
As things stand, it seems very unlikely that the Rams move Stafford, but it is worth noting that they haven’t come out and said he’s not available despite all of the noise surrounding him. So, something could happen. If it does regarding a trade of Stafford, the Steelers could be that destination. Schatz believes it.
