Turf Show Times
Rodgers signed a $13.1 million one-year contract with the Steelers
Now that Aaron Rodgers has finally made his decision to join the Pittsburgh Steelers, is there any chance that Les Snead and Sean McVay would regret the decision to pay Matthew Stafford a far greater sum of money to stay — and lose draft picks — if Rodgers balls out at a major discounted rate?
As Stafford flirted this offseason with the idea of changing teams to earn a payday worthy of his play over the last four years with the Los Angeles Rams, Rodgers was waiting in the fold for the opportunity to come back to the West and pair up Sean McVay. Davante Adams was already heavily being recruited after being released by the New York Jets and it seemed likely the pair would have another shot to play together if Stafford walked away. That of course ended when Stafford made the decision to run it back with a team-friendly contract that keeps him a Ram for at least another two years.
Rodgers’ one-year $13.65 million contract makes him one of the most affordable veteran quarterbacks in the league and sets up the Steelers to manage other player contracts, such as TJ Watt’s who has yet to sign an extension with the team. Pittsburgh isn’t known for making big splashes in free agency but did sign DK Metcalf to a 4-year $132 million contract after he was acquired from the Seattle Seahawks. They also added Darius Slay on a 1-year $10 million contract to boost an already top 10 defense. The Steelers had the 8th highest cap space ($32.2 million) before signing Rodgers and still have approximately $19 million more to play around with for other transactions and contracts.
Compensation for a Stafford trade could have netted LA future first round picks, while also clearing up $46 million in cap space that could have been used to sign other big free agents this offseason, including Rodgers. The Rams have the 23rd lowest cap space after the Stafford contract ($20.1 million) and still have extensions to work out with Kyren Williams and potentially Jalen Ramsey if he finds his way back on to the team. Those conversations would have been a lot easier to have without Stafford taking 17% of the team’s cap space in 2025 and more draft capital to play with.
If Rodgers does end up having a resurgence under Mike Tomlin and helps revitalize one of the most stale offenses in the league it is worth asking if the Rams would end up regretting their decision to roll with Stafford if things don’t go as planned this season. Stafford is the more talented quarterback at this point in his career and is the sole reason the Rams have had any chance of making the postseason the last two years with one of the league’s youngest rosters, but there was value trading him this season that won’t be there as Stafford continues to age.
Could the Rams...
