Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford appears to be connecting with teammates just fine.
When asked Wednesday about now-viral comments made by his wife, Kelly, when she remarked last month that the 35-year-old Stafford was struggling to connect with younger members of the Rams’ roster, the NFL veteran said he and the locker room have “moved on” from the saga.
“I think those guys understand where I’m coming from,” Stafford said, according to ESPN. “They see me come in this building every single day and know how I go to work, know how I interact with everybody and we didn’t really think too much about it to be honest with you.
“I’m not too worried about it. Nobody in the locker room’s too worried about it, I can promise you that. We’ve completely moved on. Not that we’ve ever really stopped to think about it, to be honest with you, but yeah, I’m not too worried about it.”
Kelly sparked headlines in late August when she discussed how the locker room has evolved since Stafford entered the league in 2009, when he was drafted first overall by the Lions.
“It’s kind of crazy, so Matthew’s been in the league for a long time,” Kelly said on her “Morning After” podcast. “He’s like, ‘The difference in the locker room has changed so significantly,’ and they have a lot of rookies on their team this year, they’re very young.
“But, he’s like, ‘I feel like I can’t connect.’ Because in the old days, you’d come out of practice, you’d shower, people would be playing cards, people would be interacting. Who knows what they’re doing but they’re doing something together, they’re playing ping pong, they have a tournament going on, they’re at least talking. He said now, they get done with practice, get done meetings during training camp and they go straight to their phones, like no one looks up from their phones.”
Kelly, who has been married to Stafford since 2015, later expressed regret, stating the comments were “probably the worst thing I’ve done when it comes to him [Matthew].”
Despite the unexpected controversy, Stafford — who is entering his third year with the Rams — is keeping his focus on the season and how the newest faces can contribute.
“We happen to have a lot of young guys on our team, a lot of rookies that have come in and done a heck of a job and earned roles on our football team, are going to be big parts of our season. And that’s exciting. But every season, every team is different. And that’s the great part about this game is you get exposure to all different kinds of people from all different places and different places in their life,” he said.
When the Rams visit Seattle on Sunday for their opener versus the Seahawks, they’ll be without a fellow veteran.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp will be out Week 1 because of an ongoing hamstring issue, head coach Sean McVay confirmed Wednesday. He could potentially land on injured reserve.
The Rams finished the 2022 season with a disappointing 5-12 record — one year removed from their Super Bowl win.
