The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the top buyers in the 2025 quarterback market and ever since Matthew Stafford trade rumors began to surface in late January, the Steelers have been connected to the former Super Bowl champion QB as a potential suitor.
Having said that, there have been some rumblings that a Stafford trade could be a pipe dream, and on February 19, two different updates from NFL insiders cast even more doubt on the idea of Pittsburgh landing the Los Angeles Rams signal-caller.
“I think they are discussing everything, in fact, I know they are,” The Athletic’s Dianna Russini told the Rich Eisen Show on Wednesday while discussing the Steelers’ quarterback search.
“They are trying to sort of search under every rock of — ‘how are we going to move forward here knowing that we need a quarterback, and we need a good one,’” Russini continued, voicing: “I have a hard time believing that the Pittsburgh Steelers would be a team in on, let’s say like a Sam Darnold or if this Stafford situation didn’t work out [with the Rams].”
Russini’s major hold-up when it comes to the Steelers making a play for Stafford seems to be his salary, and what he might cost.
Which brings us to the second insider update of February 19, courtesy of FOX Sports NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
“Several teams, per league sources, have called L.A. about Stafford and the belief is a first-round pick would probably be the asking price should the Rams choose to make a deal,” Schultz relayed within his new weekly column.
Adding: “Again, the Rams want him back (he also carries a $49.3 million cap hit if released) and there’s been nothing to this point that would suggest Stafford doesn’t want to play for them.”
NFL Combine Could Reveal Matthew Stafford’s Potential Availability for Possible Suitors Like Steelers
If the Rams actually want a first-round pick for Stafford — a 37-year-old quarterback that wants a new big-money contract — as Schultz reported, there’s almost zero shot the Steelers are making that sort of trade.
However, the initial asking price isn’t always the final one, and if Stafford’s relationship with the Rams somehow gets worse in the coming weeks, it’s possible their trade demands lessen.
Either way, the next event where some Stafford chatter could shake free is the NFL Combine, beginning on February 24.
“The Rams and Stafford’s agent are planning to meet in Indianapolis [at the Combine] to see if they can find common ground,” Schultz noted on February 19.
Perhaps, their conversation can finally provide some clarity for the rest of the league.
Steelers ‘Split’ on Running It Back With Russell Wilson or Justin Fields: Report
At the end of the day, all this Stafford and Darnold talk may end up being a waste of breath, being that those close to the Steelers still believe it will either be Russell Wilson or Justin Fields quarterbacking the team in 2025.
“No decision is more significant than deciding which quarterback — Wilson or Fields — they want to retain in 2025,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette insider Gerry Dulac wrote on February 17. “It is a split decision internally, kind of like it was in 2021 when the Steelers were deciding if they wanted to bring back Ben Roethlisberger for his 18th and final season, which they eventually did.”
Similarly, a fan asked veteran beat reporter Mark Kaboly who the Steelers might sign at QB if it’s not Wilson or Fields, and his answer pretty much confirmed that he believes it will be one of the two.
“If it isn’t going to be Wilson or Fields, I would make a play [for], are you ready for this, Mason Rudolph (it won’t happen),” he responded. “I am not interested in Kirk Cousins, Jameis Winston, Zach Wilson, Daniel Jones, or Sam Darnold. I guess what I am saying is that they better sign Wilson or Fields.”
Kaboly did joke that Aaron Rodgers could also be an option, but that appeared to be more of a jest, being that the questioner added: “Please don’t say Aaron Rodgers.”
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