Jun 3, 2025; Woodland Hills, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during organized team activities at Rams Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Steelers' Ineptitude Helped Rams Retain Stafford

Originally posted on Los Angeles Rams on SI
By Brock Vierra | Last updated Jun 8, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The Pittsburgh Steelers may be one of the oddest organizations in the NFL, largely due to the fact they could be so much better and yet they refuse to be.

The Steelers used to represent the gold standard in football. A franchise beloved by many, the Steelers were iconic, they were championship contenders, and now they're a bit of a mess -- a mess that Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford didn't want to be a part of.

The Steelers were interested in Stafford and could've made some waves during Stafford's offseason negotiations because they could've engaged in a bidding war with the Raiders that would've given Stafford a lot to think about, especially considering relations between Stafford and the Rams back in February were rocky at best until both sides came to an agreement on redefining the financial terms of his current deal.

After the Steelers signed Aaron Rodgers, a quarterback once linked to the Rams, franchise legend and NFL analyst Ryan Clark called the move "the worst case scenario."

"This is the worst case scenario for Pittsburgh Steelers fans," Clark said. "[Rodgers] continues to keep you mired in mediocrity... Will they contend for that championship that Pittsburgh Steelers people and fans and the organization think is the standard? No, they won't.

Aaron Rodgers signing with the Steelers is the worse case scenario. I think he’ll play good enough, & the team will be just good enough to miss out on a franchise guy next year! One of the greatest players of the era, & one of its greatest head coaches… just years too late.… pic.twitter.com/Py46A0N0M2
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) June 5, 2025

"They'll be fighting for a wild-card spot, they'll probably be home Week 1 of the playoffs and again be looking for a franchise quarterback. If you told me you were going to pair one of this era's greatest coaches with one of this era's greatest quarterbacks, I'd expect greatness. That is not what we'll get. Maybe six years ago, but not now."

The Steelers are the only team in the AFC North to not win a playoff game this decade. In fact, the last time they did win a playoff game was the 2018 season. To put that into perspective, that was Sean McVay's second year with the Rams, Wade Phillips was the defensive coordinator, and Aqib Talib was on the roster.

Mike Tomlin's words are old, the team lets troublesome players get away with whatever, and ownership is content with maintaining a locker room that looks like it was 30 years old when Quentin Lake's dad Carnell, played for the franchise in the 90s.

The team is cheap, unsuccessful, and stuck in neutral. That's why attempts for Stafford likely failed, and thus, it helped keep the Super Bowl champion in Los Angeles.

It's easy to discount Pittsburgh when they discount themselves.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Rams on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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