Matthew Stafford is preparing for his third season with the Rams as the regular season opener approaches in two weeks.
As the team finalizes its roster, it appears that the Rams will have a relatively young squad.
Unfortunately, connecting with his younger teammates has been a struggle for Stafford, according to his wife Kelly.
During an episode of her podcast, The Morning After With Kelly Stafford, she shared that Matthew has found it difficult to establish a connection with some of the new, young players.
Kelly revealed that the locker room dynamics have significantly changed over the years, with many rookies and young players on the team.
“It’s kind of crazy. So Matthew’s been in the league a long time. He’s like ‘The difference in the locker room has changed so significantly.’ They have a lot of rookies on their team, they’re very young. But he’s like ‘I feel like I can’t connect. In the old days you’d come out of practice, you’d shower, and people would be playing cards, interacting… But now they get out of practice, and meetings during training camp, and they go straight to their phones,” said Kelly.
Matthew feels that he can’t connect with them like he used to with older teammates.
In the past, after practice, players would engage in activities together and interact, but now they immediately turn to their phones after training camp meetings. The younger players even address Matthew with formalities like “Sir,” which he feels creates unnecessary barriers.
“They say ‘Sir’ to him and sh**. He’s like ‘No, we’re on the same level here, we’re both playing in the league. Let me get to know you.’”
He wants to have a more equal relationship with his teammates and get to know them better. The Rams had a total of 14 picks in the 2023 NFL draft and currently have 22 undrafted free agents on their roster. Although this number will decrease after the final roster cuts, the Rams will still have a comparatively young team compared to other teams in the league.
At 35 years old, Stafford is entering his 15th season, making him one of the most experienced players on the team. Only superstar defensive tackle Aaron Donald has more than 10 years of experience, with four other players on the roster aged 30 or older.
Given the youthfulness of the team, Stafford is working hard to establish connections with his teammates, but it has proven to be a challenge for the veteran quarterback.
Check out more of Kelly and Matt below:
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