Talk about a buzzer-beater. The Los Angeles Rams officially locked down former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. The former SEC superstar signed the contract in the very last seconds before the Rams’ training camp deadline on July 26.

The 13th overall pick agreed to a four-year contract worth $25.4 million, fully guaranteed. On top of that, Ty Simpson is taking home a huge $14.94 million signing bonus just for putting pen to paper. By signing on the dotted line, he officially became the very last first-round draft pick from the entire 2026 NFL rookie class to get a deal done.

The main reason it took so long for the contract to close out was a classic game of waiting for the market to move. Ty Simpson’s agents were waiting around for the number-one overall draft pick, Fernando Mendoza, to sign his contract with the Las Vegas Raiders first.

Once Mendoza’s deal was finalized earlier in the week, it set the baseline framework for rookie quarterback contracts across the league. Now Simpson can report to camp without that contract hanging over him.

However, picking a quarterback in the first round was a bit of a shocker for fans, especially since the Rams are built to win right now. Their starting quarterback, Matthew Stafford, just won the NFL MVP award last season and even signed a brand new one-year extension through 2027.

However, the Rams’ front office sees Simpson as a future option, not a day-one answer. For now, he is walking into a room where the job is about learning first and competing second.

Training camp officially starts today at Loyola Marymount University, and he is walking straight into a wide-open quarterback battle. And now that Jimmy Garoppolo is gone, Simpson will be competing directly with Stetson Bennett for the official number-two quarterback spot. He will get plenty of practice reps this summer because the coaches plan to give the 38-year-old Stafford plenty of rest days.

Learning a playbook under head coach Sean McVay is known to be a tough task, and Simpson even joked that the mental workload feels like trying to drink water from a fire hydrant. He has to learn a highly complicated system very quickly, but his incredible talent is exactly why the team drafted him so high. If he wants to win that backup job, he will need a strong showing when the Rams play their first preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs on August 15.

Why did Ty Simpson hit the lottery with the Rams?

NFL scouts fell in love with Simpson during his last college season at Alabama because he was incredibly smart and efficient with the football. Despite not playing the first three seasons of his college career, in just one season, he threw for over 3,500 yards and racked up 28 touchdowns against just five interceptions.

He also led the SEC in completions and tied for the most big-time downfield throws in the country. That’s what the Rams coaching department was looking for in a QB, a gunslinger who isn’t scared to throw the football.

If there is any genuine concern about the young quarterback, it is just his physical size and durability. He stands about 6-foot-2 and weighs about 211 pounds. He took some serious beating last year and had to fight through a lower back injury and a fractured rib.

According to some reports, the Rams will work on his frame and make sure he gets enough muscle to survive the physical toll of the NFL. Truth be told, if Ty Simpson survives this bare-minimum, learns from one of the best QBs ever, and holds it for another year or two, this could end up being the biggest win for the former SEC star!