Rookie quarterbacks always have a lot to adjust to when entering the professional league. Learn the new playbook, adapt to the league’s physicality, earn the respect of teammates, to name some. And then there is Ty Simpson’s situation. Who can forget the cold demeanor from head coach Sean McVay after the LA Rams GM Les Snead drafted his close friend’s son as Matthew Stafford’s heir?

With the head coach’s close friendship with Stafford, one can see why McVay was uncharacteristically stone-faced in the post-draft press conference. After the storyline has seen many versions, NFL analyst Chris Simms has addressed the situation once and for all, but only to force more questions.

“They had a little bit of an argument about something else,” Simms told Nick Kostos on the You Better You Bet podcast.

“And I’m not going to share all that with you, but it had nothing to do with that. There was a little bit of a heated argument about another topic right before they went out there, and that’s why Sean was kind of acting the way he was.”

The decision to sign Ty Simpson was smart. But it also looked like a power play inside the building.

Snead is a friend of Ty Simpson’s father. The GM was even there when Simpson was contemplating his NFL declaration because, realistically, he knew he needed more skills to be a top-drafted NFL QB. But it isn’t like the selection was all that surprising.

While the Rams did not invite Simpson for a top-30 visit, wanting to keep everything under wraps, the QB himself revealed that he had connected with McVay before. With Simpson not having enough starting experience, he was projected to be a second-round pick. And the Rams were more than okay to draft him with their 29th overall pick. But things took a turn.

The Rams sent that pick to the Kansas City Chiefs after they saw Simpson rise. Then, they used the 13th pick they received from Atlanta via a draft-day trade one year ago to draft Simpson. But two things McVay said made many wonder if the head coach wasn’t okay with the pick.

First, he clarified that the 13th selection was “basically an extra pick.” Second, he said, “Let’s make one thing clear: this is Matthew’s team.” For him, Simpson remains a backup QB after winning the competition against Stetson Bennett. But he confirmed he believes in the Alabama product’s skillset. To put into his own words…

“Les and his group really liked him as soon as we started studying him,” McVay said. “There was a body of work that was a good, fun evaluation and a lot of the concepts that we would activate. Guy’s a football junkie, plays with the timing and rhythm. You can see that he’s a coach’s son.”

McVay knew that Simpson was to be the next QB1 for whenever Stafford decides to hang up his cleats. In fact, he made it clear that “for him to get an opportunity to be Matthew’s successor, it will be on Matthew’s terms.” But McVay understood the optics of the entire conversation did not come as he intended to, and jumped into damage control.

“We couldn’t be in more lockstep in every decision that we make,” McVay told the reporters a few days later. “Couldn’t be more excited about us to continue to lead together, but every decision that we make is collective and collaborative. This is my buddy right here.”

Heading into the draft, the Rams had a stacked roster. Between a solidified offensive line and a receiving corps headlined by Nacua and Adams, there simply wasn’t an urgent vacancy to fill. However, the front office decided to overlook their current depth chart and started looking at the 2027 horizon by drafting Ty Simpson.

In his lone season as a starter with Alabama in 2025, he started in 15 games, passed for 3,567 yards, and recorded 28 passing touchdowns. His production in the 2025 season ranked among the top quarterback performances at Alabama. His 473 passes ranked second in Alabama’s history, and his 305 completions ranked third. So there are many things that Simpson can learn from Stafford.

What Rookie Ty Simpson Can Learn Sitting Behind the Veteran Stafford

The LA Rams have built a massive safety net when they decided to bring in Simpson. At Rams, he gets access to premier offensive minds in McVay and the mentorship of a veteran and future Hall of Famer, Matthew Stafford. This setup will help the rookie to develop without the weight of the franchise on his shoulders from day one. And the preparations have already started.

In a recent video shared by the Los Angeles Rams on social media, Ty Simpson was seen joining Matthew Stafford and Stetson Bennett for the drills. This is the first look at the team’s revamped quarterback room in action. After his draft, Simpson was all praise about the veteran quarterback.

“Matthew Stafford throws the ball with conviction and doesn’t care what happens,” Simpson had said. “He might throw a pick the drive before, and he’s coming back and throwing the same type of ball. That dude is an assassin.

“As a quarterback, that’s the type of mentality you have to have. Being able to learn from him and learn how he’s doing those things on a daily basis, I can’t wait to soak it all up.”

The respect is not one-sided either.

Stafford was told about Simpson’s selection before the draft day, and McVay revealed that he was as stoic as he always is. Stafford understands that the team needs to build towards the future instead of putting the brakes on once he retires, and Simpson can get enough guidance to be that leader one day.

The momentary friction in the Rams’ war room might just be the cost of doing business when two perfectionists are at the helm. What really happened between the two will remain under wraps, clearly. But what we do know is that Simpson is the guy that both Snead and McVay believe in.