Does Matthew Stafford going back to the Rams impact the Steelers?

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback situation is very similar to their wide receiver situation in 2024. In other words, if there was a player available, whether free agency or trade, the Steelers were reportedly interested. With no quarterbacks other than Skylar Thompson under contract, the Steelers have been rumored to be interested in any number of signal callers, and that included a potential trade for Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine it became clear Stafford wasn’t going anywhere, with the Rams and Stafford reaching an agreement on a restructured deal. This from ESPN’s Adam Schefter:

LA’s quarterback is back: the Rams and Matthew Stafford reached agreement today on a restructured deal that keeps him in Los Angeles and quashes any and all trade speculation, per sources.

The first significant off-season QB domino has fallen. pic.twitter.com/wNwydqn49R

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 28, 2025

So, with Stafford out of the equation, does that impact the Steelers? Were the Steelers even in the mix for Stafford? Here at SCN we have boots on the ground at the NFL Scouting Combine, and Coach KT Smith has been staying glued into the rumor mill, and here is what he’s hearing.

Here’s some of the buzz I’m hearing after talking to media people here in Indy. As always, consider with a grain of salt:

– The dominos from Matthew Stafford heading back to the Rams could be as follows. The Giants are now serious contenders to trade with TEN for the #1 overall…

— Kevin Smith (@KTSmithFFSN) February 28, 2025

For those who can’t see the entire tweet, here is what Coach Smith is hearing about the quarterback situation after Stafford has decided to return to the Rams next season:

“The dominos from Matthew Stafford heading back to the Rams could be as follows. The Giants are now serious contenders to trade with TEN for the #1 overall pick so they can take the QB of their choice. And Sam Darnold’s stock just went up, with the Steelers possessing legitimate interest.”

This isn’t the only time in recent days the Steelers and Darnold have been linked together. Darnold is expected to have a strong market when free agency starts, and some are believing the Vikings might try a tag and trade scenario with the quarterback.

This is not a credible source, but just an example of what is being floated around at this juncture of the offseason:

Sources: both the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers have engaged with the Vikings surrounding a tag and trade for QB Sam Darnold with talks expected to advance this weekend.

Both teams are willing to offer Darnold a long term contract. pic.twitter.com/FZjOtdvZji

— Draft Buzz (@TheDraftBuzzNFL) February 27, 2025

For those curious, the deadline to use the franchise tag is March 4th, and the expected amount for a quarterback on the tag is $40.242 million. So, in this scenario, if the Vikings weren’t able to trade Darnold, they would be on the hook for that amount in 2025.

The hope is you, the reader don’t see this and feel as if the Steelers are destined to sign Sam Darnold, but, as Omar Khan said Tuesday, all options are on the table. This is happening for all available quarterbacks with the NFL world descended on Indianapolis. There are rumors swirling of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields stocks both rising rapidly, along with Darnold, prior to the new league year starting on March 10th.

Stafford might have been the first domino to fall, but there are plenty other dominos which have yet to even be set up. Will the Steelers be able to sign one of their own before the start of the new league year? Do they even want to bring back one of those quarterbacks? We’ll find out soon enough, but until then the jockeying by agents and teams is strong.

Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the start of the new league year in March.