The 2025 NFL season is officially over, and the next big event is the NFL Combine. After that, is the hectic NFL Free Agency period that will see plenty of players on new teams.
During this span though, is also the prime opportunity for trade speculation to start. For two players, the speculation isn’t so much speculation, and is more so a possibility.
The Los Angeles Rams made it public they are looking to trade Cooper Kupp, and Matthew Stafford is another player they haven’t fully committed to saying they want to keep for the season. Meaning both are firmly on the trade block for 2025.
The Pittsburgh Steelers Will Trade for Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp
Ideally, Stafford and Kupp would want to stay together, this would also help the Rams get the most in return. A team that has a need at both spots that could be the best suitor is the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Rams Moving on from Kupp and Stafford
Kupp is coming off a complete down year, while Stafford still performed at a decent level but showed signs of regression. For Stafford’s case, he threw for 4,295 yards and 24 touchdowns with just eight interceptions, but was not reading defenses like he once used to and put the ball in harm’s way more frequently. This resulted in a 3.7% turnover-worthy play percentage of 3.7%, and he was routinely overlooking wide open receivers.
Stafford is going to be 37, and with a Rams team gearing more towards the future while Stafford wants an extension, it isn’t a logical decision for Los Angeles. Without an extension, it won’t leave Stafford happy, and after the reports of them looking to trade Kupp came out, he already wasn’t in favor of that, either.
With Kupp, he has continued to deal with injuries, and it resulted in him having just 67 catches for 710 yards and six touchdowns in 2024. The Rams have seen Puka Nacua take over as the top wide receiver, making them feel like they can move off Kupp easier, plus with saving $20 million in cap space by trading him, it highlights the benefits of the move even more.
Pittsburgh Steelers Are the Ideal Team to Trade for Kupp and Stafford
It just so happens to be that the Steelers not only have a void at quarterback, but need wide receiver help as well. With Stafford, although he showed signs of aging, can still perform at a winning level, which is all the Steelers need. Plus, with Mike Tomlin as the head coach he will be looking for an experienced quarterback to lead the offense for this season, and not force rushing a rookie quarterback into the system.
For Kupp, the Steelers are looking for a reliable, veteran presence on the receiver side of things as well. George Pickens has shown flashes, but he has also dealt with off-field issues and tantrums that have led to issues. With Kupp, he would be the mentor Pickens needs to get on track and develop the correct way. Kupp would also help Pittsburgh as while they drafted Roman Wilson in last year’s draft, he dealt with injuries and no other wide receiver on the team stepped up to help take pressure off Pickens. Kupp would be able to and help solve the wide receiver issue the Steelers have been having.
All in all, the Steelers get two experienced players to help keep their current contention window open. The Los Angeles Rams offload two major contracts and can start focusing on the future. And with Kupp and Stafford, they get to stay together on a historic team known for winning under Mike Tomlin, and a team that has the players in place like TJ Watt, and Minkah Fitzpatrick to contend on a yearly basis.
