If the Pittsburgh Steelers dislike their internal options at quarterback and want to make a radical all-in move to compete in a daunting AFC North, they could call up the Los Angeles Rams about QB Matthew Stafford. That’s the case NFL Insider Albert Breer made during a recent interview, outlining why the Steelers have every reason to inquire.
To be clear, Breer didn’t report the Steelers plan to make a push for Stafford. He just sees the dot connecting.
“T.J. Watt turns 31, I believe this year,” Breer said in an interview on The Dan Patrick Show earlier this week. “Minkah Fitzpatrick, I believe is turning 29 this year. So the Steelers are like in that same position I talked about with Cleveland. Where it’s like, they don’t have their answer at quarterback. They don’t have a quarterback who can put them in a position to compete with Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, Lamar and the AFC right now.
“They’re sort of in this no-man’s land with those star players where it’s like, can we fix this position fast enough so we can compete with T.J. and Minkah still at the height of their powers? Or do we have to look at resetting completely?”
Pittsburgh has consistently re-tooled instead of rebuilt because of their defense. A unit that, at it’s best, is top-five in football and a group that consistently finishes top-ten in points allowed. It’s also a group quickly aging. As Breer noted, Watt’s in his early-30s while Fitzpatrick is quickly approaching. Most notably, DL Cam Heyward turns 36 in May and likely has two years left in his career. Once those pillars age and decline, the defense will need serious attention.
Stafford is no spring chicken – he turns 37 literally today – but is still playing great football. He turned around the Rams’ 2024 season to lead them to the playoffs and win a postseason game, finishing the regular season with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions despite injuries to his wide receiver corps. Now, he’s looking for a new contract with the Rams.
“I think that the Steelers are the one where I look at them and it’s like, if there’s a team that could take a swing at quarterback, that would be them,” Breer said.
If the organization is confident they’re a quarterback away from competing for a title, adding Stafford is a logical conclusion. And if Jay Glazer is to be believed, the Steelers don’t love running it back with Russell Wilson or Justin Fields.
Breer speculated if the Steelers can pull off a deal with Stafford, and that’s still a major if with currently zero indication the Rams want to part ways, WR Cooper Kupp could come with him.
“The Rams would probably do that…if they had gotten to the point where we’re trading Stafford, I think that you could do some sort of package deal there,” he said.
The Stafford family at least seems open to the idea of being traded if that decision gets made by the organization. And Kupp was placed on the trading block this week. A Stafford-Kupp combo would make their transitions to their new team easier and would give Pittsburgh upgrades at quarterback and receiver.
Still, there’s a point where Pittsburgh has to think about youth and a long-term plan. Even with Stafford, the Steelers won’t be considered favorites over the Bills, Chiefs, Ravens, and potentially not even the Bengals or Texans. And any fall-off from Stafford as he approaches his 40s would diminish the Steelers’ odds even more, potentially leaving them needing to find a quarterback and rebuild their defense two seasons from now.
