Hours after shockingly drafting Ty Simpson at 13th overall, LA Rams GM Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay appeared in front of the media. Sitting calmly at the table was Snead, answering reporters’ questions enthusiastically. A usually chatty McVay, though, had a different demeanor. With all the speculations around why they drafted the former Alabama QB, an interesting equation has come to light.

According to senior NFL reporter Albert Breer, Rams GM Les Snead and UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson (Ty’s father) “have a very strong relationship.” The relationship is so strong that Snead “helped advise the family” when Ty Simpson was deciding whether to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft.

Although Snead and Jason Simpson were never on a team together, coaching or playing. However, both played in the same conference at the same time. Jason was a QB for Mississippi State from 1990 to 1992. In the same period, Snead was a tight end for Auburn and became a graduate assistant for the team in 1993. However, when asked about his “strong relationship” with Jason, Snead denied it outright.

“Jason, we’ve probably been in football about the same amount of years. When I was playing in the SEC, he was playing in the SEC,” Snead said about Jason Simpson. “I don’t have a real personal relationship other than he’s been very successful with UT Martin. [Quarterback] Dresser Winn, who was one of his QBs, has been a part of us. And yes, I did chat with Jason and the family. I do that with other players before the draft.”

The questions around the existing bond between Snead and Jason Simpson matter because of the surprising nature of the pick. Heading into the draft, Ty Simpson was predicted to be a late first-round or second-round pick. Moreover, with Stafford returning, the Rams didn’t have an immediate need at the position. In some sense, securing the feature while Stafford is still there seems logical.

However, the Rams could have easily traded down and still would have gotten Simpson. By doing that, the Rams wouldn’t have to pay the $40 million in guaranteed money they would otherwise pay Simpson.

With a 13th pick, Simpson will get a $25.41 million 4-year deal with a 5th-year option. Add the $14.94 million signing bonus in the mix, and taking in Simpson just doesn’t make sense financially. But more importantly, head coach Sean McVay might not even have a place for Simpson on his roster.

Sean McVay is hesitant to declare Ty Simpson as Matthew Stafford’s successor

While many were shocked to see Rams taking Simpson, the team’s QB1, Matthew Stafford, wasn’t. According to reports, the team had informed the QB about their plans. And Sean McVay was clear about the status quo at the QB position.

“This is Matthew’s team,” McVay said to the reporters. “There were a lot of players that we liked, and there was a lot of thought that kind of went into it. And we do feel really fortunate that when you look at the 13th pick, we were able to get that. Atlanta had interest in getting a player last year. We would have taken Ferguson with our first-round pick last year to move back to still get the guy that we wanted and then to basically be able to get an extra pick.”

Translation: McVay’s team probably thought the 13th overall pick to be expendable since they got it last year in a trade from the Atlanta Falcons. There were no plans either, and even in interviews, the GM didn’t look clear in his strategy for the 2026 NFL draft. All things considered, the Rams have taken Simpson now and will try to justify that $40 million tag. McVay isn’t yet calling him Stafford’s successor, saying, “We’ll see. He’s going to compete with Stetson Bennett,” and that explains everything that happened in the background to draft Simpson.