Matthew Stafford not becoming the Pittsburgh Steelers’ next starting quarterback isn’t terribly surprising. His bid to leave Los Angeles, let alone drive through the Fort Pitt Tunnel, never made much sense. Stafford remaining a Ram was the best thing for him and for the team. But the first quarterback domino to fall, even if that domino never moved, could grease the gears to give Pittsburgh clarity on sorting out its own QB situation.
Typically, the market doesn’t move until the top is settled. That was Stafford. The best quarterback option in most offseasons and doubly so in 2025 given a weak free agent pool and similarly shallow rookie class. The demand outweighs the supply. More teams needing quarterbacks than are available.
Now that the Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, and each player knows Stafford is staying, they can move on. The Raiders can move to Plan B. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields gain more clarity on their market and options, becoming even more valuable as the options shrink. That’ll increase if Sam Darnold stays in Minnesota.
With free agency nearing and the market beginning to take shape, the rest of the class will fall in line. Post-Combine, free agents have a good sense of who and how many teams will be interested. Clearing up Stafford’s situation only helps each player and team know where they stand.
It’s no secret Pittsburgh wants to get a quarterback re-signed before the new league year. Ideally, even before the legal tampering period this upcoming Monday when teams can verbally agree to contracts with pending free agents. The Steelers are sorta stuck until then. It’s hard to navigate your salary cap, make big deals, or sign a receiver without knowing who is going to throw to them.
Stafford or not, the Steelers’ result is likely going to be the same. Re-signing Fields or Wilson. This was the first shoe to drop to create a resolution and answer to Pittsburgh’s quarterback debate. At least until 2026 when the same conversations start all over.
