The Los Angeles Rams could have gone so many ways with their No. 13 pick. Matthew Stafford particularly needed a third wide receiver to follow the starting duo of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. The franchise could also have looked at an offensive tackle, an inside linebacker, or a cornerback to build depth after Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. But getting Ty Simpson cemented the fact that Stafford will not be playing for Los Angeles much longer. Head coach Sean McVay might not be happy with the decision.

When McVay attended the press conference after the first round of the draft, he had very little to say about Ty Simpson. He was answering in extremely short sentences and just did not seem interested in that conversation. That gave fans the picture that Sean McVay did not like this new development on the roster. The most he had to say about Simpson was that “he’s going to compete with [Stetson Bennett].” The other highlight of his press conference was his support for Stafford.

“Let’s make one thing clear, this is Matthew’s team.”

Stafford turned 38 in February, but he’s still playing at a high level. He just had an amazing season, leading the NFL in touchdown passes and passing yards, and even winning his first MVP at 37. A 71.2 QBR defies his age. He can very well be one of the rare exceptions in the league, but drafting Ty Simpson seems like the Rams are putting a full stop on Stafford’s career. Earlier this month, McVay seemed very on board with the idea of the veteran QB still playing for the Rams.

“He’s gonna be able to play as long as he’s able to, whether that’s one, two more, who knows, he might be one of those guys that plays late into his 40s,” the head coach said. “I wouldn’t have a problem with that.”

Contrarily, General Manager Les Snead seemed to be very vocal about Simpson. Yahoo Sports’ Jack Baer observed that at one instance, Snead spoke for more than a minute on the former Alabama QB.

“You get a chance to be able to address the backup quarterback, we’ve got Stetson, we’ve talked about the importance of [former Rams back-up Jimmy Garoppolo], so to be able to add somebody that you can evaluate a body of work that he was asked to play the position and a lot of things that do translate: concepts, reading with his feet, some of the different things in the dropback and the play action game, the movement game,” the GM said of Simpson.

The new draftee’s biggest red flag is his experience as a starter. Simpson waited for two years to get the QB1 role at Alabama. He became a star in the first few weeks of the season, as other quarterbacks in his class dimmed. But towards the end of the season, Simpson’s faults began showing, and he was also injured. In the Rose Bowl against Indiana, Simpson and Co. suffered an embarrassing 3-38 defeat. Moreover, on the QB draft board, there was a huge gap between him and Fernando Mendoza for a long time, even though Simpson was the presumed QB2.

Simpson still finished with 3,567 passing yards and 28 touchdowns, with a 64.5% completion rate. It’s not quite on the level of Stafford, but who knows, this might turn out to be a great fit for the Rams in the future.

Matthew Stafford reacts positively to Ty Simpson’s selection

Jay Glazer reported on X that McVay personally told Stafford about the decision before the pick was made. It was also made clear to him that Simpson was being drafted to be his successor. Such news likely makes the end of one’s career look very real, but according to McVay, he didn’t show much disdain for the new QB.

“He was great. He’s always a stud in every sense of the word”, McVay said, according to Adam Grosbard’s X post on April 24, 2026.

Ty Simpson hit the jackpot by getting drafted to the Rams. If Garoppolo retires, that leaves only Bennett as his competition to be QB2. From then on, it’s just a matter of when for the rookie QB. He gets to learn from one of the best in the league, and he doesn’t even have to spend a lot of time before he takes the crown from Matthew Stafford.

“He’s one of the greatest of all time, quarterback-wise,” Simpson said. “And we watched his film all the time when I was at Bama. … So the fact that I get to be in a room and soak up all that knowledge is something that I couldn’t ask for a better situation.”

With time, will Sean McVay warm up towards his future QB1?