First Call: Matt Stafford's wife on board with move if trade happens; Steelers legend presses need for QB improvement

If the Pittsburgh Steelers really have an interest in acquiring Matthew Stafford, it appears his wife is willing to move from Los Angeles if needed. A Steelers legend is encouraging the team to make a move at QB as soon as possible.

We preview the Penguins weekend ahead, potentially without Sidney Crosby. It’s also a busy weekend of college hoops and college hockey.

All that is on the way in Friday’s “First Call.”

Open to all options

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has been floated as a trade possibility for the Steelers. It’s obvious why the Steelers would want to trade for him. They need a quarterback. Stafford threw for 20 touchdowns and 3,762 yards on a playoff team this year.

But would the Rams really trade him? And if so, would Stafford and his family really want to leave California for Pittsburgh or any other destination? During her latest “Morning After” podcast, Stafford’s wife, Kelly, sounded open to a trade if one were to occur.

“I love the city of L.A. … and I love the life that we have built here,” Kelly said via the New York Post. “With that being said, I love an adventure. I am all for it. Right now, if the Rams decided that they wanted to trade him or Matthew decided he didn’t want to play for the Rams, I am good.”

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The Staffords have four daughters. Kelly has 431,000 followers on Instagram.

“No one’s talking about the Matthew Stafford thing. I don’t understand it,” S.I.’s Albert Breer said on the “Dan Patrick Show” from New Orleans this week. “I don’t understand why nobody’s talking about the idea that Stafford could be available, and if you’re another team, you’re probably calling the Rams.”

Breer and ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky both mentioned the Steelers as potential destinations for Stafford. According to OverTheCap.com, the 36-year-old is due $27 million in salary and bonuses this year and $31 million in 2026.

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Long road ahead

A former Steeler Hall of Famer thinks the Steelers better get Stafford or another Super Bowl-worthy quarterback — and quickly.

Rod Woodson was on Jim Rome’s show Thursday and said that Mike Tomlin will not win another Super Bowl until the franchise finds Ben Roethlisberger’s successor.

“Since Big Ben has left, they’ve been struggling to find that replacement,” Woodson said Thursday. “I think they have to find that replacement. They do put a good product on the field year in and year out, and I know Tomlin is a really good coach, but he’s not going to win another Super Bowl until they find the replacement for Ben Roethlisberger in that quarterback position. You need a quarterback in today’s game. If you don’t have one, you’re gonna struggle in the National Football League.”

Forget winning another Super Bowl, Rod. I’d go even further and say he’s not going to win another playoff game until that happens.

Woodson, who also played in Baltimore, San Francisco and Oakland during his career, is now calling games for the Ravens, so he’s seen some of the Steelers’ struggles at the QB position up close.

The six-time All-Pro played in a Super Bowl with the Steelers in 1995-96 with Neil O’Donnell as the Steelers quarterback. And I think we all know what happened there.

Lombardi No. 5 for the @dallascowboys (1/28/1996):

✨ Classic @SuperBowl match-up against the Steelers
???? Former 12th-round pick CB Larry Brown (2 INTs) becomes first CB to win MVP
2⃣2⃣ @EmmittSmith22 turned picks into points with two TD runs pic.twitter.com/WblPJMWTl8

— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) August 6, 2019

Woodson also won a ring with the Ravens in 2000-01.

Broad Street and Broadway

The Penguins wrap up play before the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament by heading to Madison Square Garden to play the New York Rangers on Friday night. Then, they tangle with the Flyers in Philadelphia on Saturday.

They might have to do so without Sidney Crosby who was limited at practice Thursday after suffering an upper body injury in Tuesday’s loss to the New Jersey Devils. Rickard Rakell moved from wing to center on the team’s top line at practice.

The Flyers have 53 points, just like the Penguins. Their most recent loss was a 4-3 decision at home against the Washington Capitals on Thursday night. Alex Ovechkin scored for Washington with less than a minute to go in the first period.

8️⃣7️⃣9️⃣ pic.twitter.com/E4uFme1AwY

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 7, 2025

That’s goal No. 26 for Ovechkin this season. He has scored in four straight games and is now 16 away from surpassing Wayne Gretzky (894) on the all-time goal-scoring list.

When it comes to the Rangers, they have won two in a row at home against the Vegas Golden Knights (4-2) and the Boston Bruins (3-2). They have 56 points and are directly in front of the Pens and Flyers in the Metropolitan Division standings.

Pittsburgh Hornet alum J.T. Miller has two goals and two assists in his first three games since rejoining New York after seven years away in Tampa Bay and Vancouver.

Weekend revival

All three of Pittsburgh’s NCAA D-1 men’s college basketball teams are in action this weekend. The Pitt Panthers (14-8, 5-6 ACC) are at North Carolina (13-10, 6-5) at 4 p.m. Saturday. Jeff Capel’s team has lost six of eight, but just beat UNC at home Jan. 28.

The Duquesne Dukes (9-14, 4-6 Atlantic 10) host Loyola-Chicago (14-8, 5-4) at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Dukes have dropped five in a row. The Ramblers have won their past two conference games, topping Saint Joseph’s and St. Bonaventure this week.

And the Robert Morris Colonials are in search of an eighth win in their last nine outings. They are at Northern Kentucky at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Meanwhile, Pitt’s women’s team (10-4, 2-9) is at SMU (10-14, 2-10) at 3 p.m. Sunday. Richmond (19-5, 10-1) sits atop the women’s A-10 standings while riding a nine-game win-streak. The Spiders are on the Bluff to square off against Duquesne (15-7, 6-5) at 2 p.m. Sunday.

RMU’s women’s hoops team is at Green Bay at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Pack your bags

The Robert Morris men’s hockey team had a tough go of it during their recent homestand. Over the past three weeks, the Colonials played seven games on Neville Island and won one just once.

Now they will look to change their fortunes on the road this week as they play at Bentley on Friday and Saturday night.

This won’t be an easy task. The Colonials are currently in ninth place in Atlantic hockey with 23 points. Bentley is third with 40 points.

As for the women’s team, they play two home games at Clearview Arena against Syracuse on Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday night (3 p.m.). The Colonials were swept in each of their last two weekend series by Mercyhurst and Penn State.