Kelly Stafford is calling foul on the play over her qualms with husband Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams’ 2026 NFL schedule.
“@NFL just curious to hear the thought process behind making the Rams the only team in the NFL without a true bye week,” Kelly, 37, wrote via her Instagram Story on Tuesday, November 3.
Kelly continued, “Because damn, after 18 years around this league, even I need a week off during the season … and I have never played a single snap.”
“I’m tired just watching from the stands,” she added, alongside a laughing emoji. “Can’t imagine how the guys feel.”
She concluded her message by leaving a comment box for the NFL to answer her, writing, “Anyway, feel free to leave an explanation right here …”
Kelly’s criticism of the schedule comes ahead of the Rams’ bye week, set to take place after they play the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, November 15.
Traditionally, NFL teams get a bye week following a Sunday game and don’t return to the field until either Thursday or Sunday over a week later.
More often than not, teams press pause for a full week, Sunday-to-Sunday, and then don’t start practices until the next week before their next kickoff the following Sunday.
The Rams, however, will return to action against the Green Bay Packers on Wednesday, November 25, instead of the usual Thursday, November 26, or Sunday, November 29, schedule.
While Matthew, who is the Rams’ quarterback, hasn’t commented on the shortened bye week, Kelly is known for her vocal stance on the league and life in general.
When Matthew, 38, signed a new contract with the Rams in March 2025, Kelly admitted she was thrilled to be staying in Los Angeles for another year.
“Let’s go! [I’m so] excited. Thank goodness,” Kelly said during an appearance on the “Give Them Lala” podcast that month. “That was, obviously, what I wanted all along and what my husband wanted all along. We didn’t want to leave. He loves the Rams, so we’re just pumped that, one, we’re here and, two, it’s over.”
Kelly, who wed the NFL player in 2015 after meeting in college, noted it’s “pretty awesome” to see her spouse in his element.
“You watch him out there and he’s a different person on that football field than even I know,” she shared on the podcast. “They show him in the huddle, and I’m, like, ‘Whoa, this is a turn-on. Super hot.’ Then, he comes home after a game or after being this manly man in the locker room and he comes home to these four little girls and he is so tender and so sweet to them. It really is incredible to watch.”
More than a year later, Matthew, who shares four daughters with Kelly, is in his 18th NFL season after signing a one-year, $55 million contract extension with the Rams in May.
