LA Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is struggling to connect with his younger teammates because ‘they go straight to their phones,’ his wife Kelly claims: ‘It’s kind of sad’

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has struggled to connect with his younger teammates as he begins his 15th season in the NFL, his wife Kelly enjoyed.

The 35-year-old Stafford is preparing for his third season with the Rams as the start of the NFL season is only two weeks away.

But the Rams are expected to be one of the youngest rosters in the league once the latest cuts are finalized and the Super Bowl-winning quarterback seemingly struggles to find common ground with his new, younger teammates.

‘It’s a little crazy. So Matthew has been in the league for a long time. He says, “The dressing room difference has changed so significantly,” his wife Kelly said on her podcast The Morning After With Kelly Stafford.

“They have a lot of rookies on their team, they are very young. But he says, “I feel like I can’t connect. You used to come from practice, you showered, and people played cards, interacted… But now they come from practice, and meetings during training camp, and they go straight to their phone.”

His wife, Kelly, talked about the Super Bowl-winning quarterback’s struggles on her podcast

“They say ‘sir’ to him and s***. He says, “No, we’re on the same level here, we both play in the league. Let me get to know you.”

“He said it’s so different and so hard to get to know these guys. He had a book printed. He had the equipment man print a book of all their faces and all their names, because he said, “I need to know their names.” We need to talk, so I’m going to look up their names and I’m going to say “Hey sis and so, how was your weekend?” So they know I know them and maybe we should get to know each other so there’s chemistry on the pitch.”

“But I think it’s really hard to develop that nowadays because they don’t care at all. Or it’s not like they don’t care, but they’re so used to going straight to their phone. It is different. It’s a bit sad.’

The Rams had 14 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft and currently have 22 undrafted free agents on the roster. While that number will decrease due to the final roster cuts, Los Angeles is still expected to have one of the most youthful teams in the league.

Meanwhile, at age 35, Stafford enters his 15th season with only one other player on his team with ten or more years of defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

There are only four other players who are 30 or older: Donald, 32, Rob Havenstein, 31, Cooper Kupp, 30, and Tyler Higbee, 30.

Stafford and Kelly have been married for eight years and share four daughters: twins Chandler and Sawyer, 6, Hunter, 4, and Tyler, 3.

Stafford, 35, prepares for his third season with the Rams, with the NFL opener ahead

Kelly regularly attends her husband’s games with the couple’s four daughters

Stafford, née Hall, has long been cheering on her husband, starting as a cheerleader for his football player at UGA.

She comes from a football family: Her older brother, Chad Hall, was an NFL receiver and is now the wide receivers coach for the Buffalo Bills.

The pair were together when Matthew was called up first overall by the Lions in 2009, with Kelly entering the workforce as a nurse.

Matthew proposed in 2014, and in 2015, the lovebirds got married at the Foundry at Puritan Mill in Atlanta, Georgia. The lavish affair included personalized neon trucker hats for guests, as well as a Nike shoe bar — the brand sponsors Matthew — that handed out free shoes to all in attendance.