In quarterback speculation season, none of the names are really doing it for me this year, though the same was kind of true last year and the Pittsburgh Steelers ended up with not one, but two of them on their roster. The one quarterback who has me at least a little interested in Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford. He is still under contract with the Rams, but they had contentious negotiations last offseason and it’s an even trickier situation this time around.
He is up there in age at 37 years old, but he had a solid season last year despite missing Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua for long stretches of the season. His adjusted net yards per passing attempt of 6.59 was better than both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields’. His passing success rate of 50.1 percent was the second-best mark of his career, easily trumping Wilson and Fields, who were both in the low 40s.
Stafford could instantly make a huge difference on this offense, but would he really want to come here? One Steelers insider thinks not.
“Why would he come here, man? My goodness. Could you imagine the culture shock there?” Mark Kaboly said via 93.7 The Fan’s Pomp and Joe Show. “If I was him, I’d just retire before coming here. If everything’s equal, sure I’d take him, but I think you have a better chance of me running a marathon.”
Stafford would be going from Sean McVay, one of the most innovative and successful offensive minds in the NFL, to the Steelers. Arthur Smith is a better coordinator than he gets credit for, but the Steelers’ offense is dysfunctional. Scheme might have something to do with it, but the personnel is a mess right now.
The Rams’ offensive line easily outperformed the Steelers’ unit in 2024. There is hope of a much better season in 2025 with the youth of the unit and hopefully not as many injuries, but it’s still a big question mark.
The bell-cow running back for Pittsburgh is likely exiting the organization, and while there is hope the Steelers can find someone better than Najee Harris in this loaded draft, it’s not a given. The Rams are in a great spot with Kyren Williams.
As for the receivers, it’s quite obvious that Kupp, Nacua, Tutu Atwell, and even DeMarcus Robinson are a better group than George Pickens, Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson and Van Jefferson.
If you are Stafford at 37 years old, you probably look at the Steelers’ offense and shudder at how much more work the personnel still needs to be competitive.
Those Steelers defensive veterans are going to need to put in overtime on the recruiting calls, like they did with Wilson last year. And this is all assuming the Rams even let Stafford get away, which at least one national insider thinks is unlikely. Perhaps the best chance the Steelers would have is bringing Stafford and Kupp both to Pittsburgh to entice him.
