The Pittsburgh Steelers still have not committed to a plan at quarterback for the 2025 season, and while the team's two internal options in Justin Fields and Russell Wilson are well known at this point, it's still not entirely clear who may be available from outside the organization, and the fate of the top one of those options, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford , remains very much up in the air.
Stafford and the Rams are expected to re-visit his contract this offseason after a renegotiation in 2024 left him without much in the way of guaranteed salary going forward. That contract hangup has yet to be resolved, and that continues to be the cause of uncertainty surrounding the future of the 37-year-old.
Though ESPN has reported that it's unlikely the Rams will move on from Stafford, that hasn't stopped the entire internet from filling up with trade scenarios, include many sending Stafford to the quarterback-desperate Steelers.
It would seemingly be crazy for the Rams, who won the ultra-competitive NFC West and gave the Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles their toughest test in this year's playoffs, to move on from Stafford at this point, especially in the face of a bleak quarterback market that has basically no players that could remotely be considered an upgrade.
But according to extensive reporting by Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic , there is a hesitation by the Rams to pay Stafford an amount of money in 2025 that may hamper the team's future efforts to lock up its young core.
The Rams have drafted exceptionally well the last few years, getting major contributions out of players like Steve Avila , Braden Fiske , Beaux Limmer , Puka Nacua , Kobe Turner, Jared Verse , Kyren Williams and Byron Young , despite having just one first-round pick (Verse at No. 19 in 2024) over the last several draft cycles.
INGLEWOOD, CA – FEBRUARY 13: Los Angeles Rams Quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) and Los Angeles Rams Defensive Tackle Aaron Donald (99) celebrate after the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI on February 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire)
Stafford will obviously not be the quarterback to play with that young core throughout the bulk of their careers, and — much like the situation for the Pittsburgh Steelers — the Rams don't seem to be in a position to find that player this year, drafting at No. 26.
Stafford is far and away the Rams' best option at quarterback this season. Stafford has long enjoyed the benefits of playing in head coach Sean McVay's scheme, and McVay, the ultimate offensive tinkerer, will not want to be slowed down by breaking in a new quarterback that will only be around in the short term, anyway.
There is some hesitation within the Steelers organization to the idea of just running it with Wilson or Fields, and that is understandable. Neither option is likely to lead the Steelers to a Super Bowl in 2025, and settling for less than that at this point in the calendar is not in the DNA of the organization.
But they need to learn the lesson of last offseason, when they waited around until the start of the season for Brandon Aiyuk and never ended up getting a wide receiver.
The Rams would be crazy to trade Matthew Stafford. They probably won't. The Steelers can't get caught hoping for a tiny chance at an upgrade and let one of their better options slip away.
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