Steelers Need A Strong Reality Check After Seeing "No Interest" From Matthew Stafford

The Pittsburgh Steelers did not enter the 2025 offseason on a high note. The franchise lost its final four games of the 2024 regular season, and then continued to get embarrassed in the playoffs by the Baltimore Ravens. The highest-paid defense in the NFL completely fell apart at the end of the year, and the offense struggled to get anything going early on in games. It is hard to say the Steelers were just a quarterback away from being competitive, as there were so many obvious holes within the roster as the season unfolded.

Although the Steelers need more than just a quarterback, the organization was considering an upgrade at the position in Matthew Stafford. The veteran was given permission by the Los Angeles Rams to speak to other teams in order to establish his market, and the Rams wanted the opportunity to still get a deal done with the quarterback. Had the two sides not been able to agree, Stafford would have been dealt via trade. 

Stafford wound up committing to the Rams on Friday, although he had interest from the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, and Steelers.

The main purpose of Los Angeles allowing Stafford to speak with other teams while still under contract was to establish a market for the veteran quarterback, although a trade could have materialized. The Steelers don't have a starting quarterback for the 2025 season currently under contract, so they were expected to be a team to make contact with Stafford's representatives. According to NFL insider Benjamin Allbright, Stafford was not interested in Pittsburgh at all.

It is hard to blame Stafford for not being interested in the Steelers. The team fell apart to end the 2024 season, and the offense he would be running isn't very innovative in comparison to what he has in Los Angeles. The offensive weapons in Pittsburgh are inferior, and the Rams' defense looked better in the playoffs than Pittsburgh's did the entire second-half of the season. 

Stafford is also known to be a fan of playing indoors. He spent the first chunk of his career playing in a dome with the Detroit Lions, and he has been in a dome in Los Angeles as well. His former backup Chase Daniel spoke earlier in the week about how there was no chance that Stafford would end up in Pittsburgh or New York, mainly because of the stadiums being outside.

It was likely a mixture of the two things as to why Stafford had no interest in coming to Pittsburgh. The weather in Pennsylvania can get rough, which he experienced during his playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The future of the organization also doesn't look too bright, so it was probably the best decision for himself to choose elsewhere.

Steelers Can Now Try To Get A Deal Done With A Quarterback

It has been known that Stafford was going to be the first domino to fall in the quarterback market, and now that he has, other teams can start planning for their future. The organization has planned to re-sign either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, and now whichever way it is leaning should become more clear. 

Expect the Steelers to attempt to get a deal done with either quarterback ahead of March 12th, which is when free agency will begin. Whichever quarterback the organization decides on should be re-signed before free agency kicks off, or else the players could test the market which could call for a higher price tag.

What do you think about Stafford showing no interest in the Steelers? Let us know in the comments below!

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