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The Los Angeles Rams shocked the football world when they took Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Although the Rams stunned almost everyone Thursday night, the decision was the culmination of months of work on Simpson, according to head coach Sean McVay.
In an interview with FS1’s “The Herd,” McVay told Colin Cowherd that the Rams didn’t make a sudden decision to select Simpson with the 13th overall pick since they still have reigning MVP Matthew Stafford on their roster.
“There wasn’t that a-ha moment, it was a combination of the work,” McVay said. “You like the work and you say ‘Hey, this guy has the potential to develop one day into what we would consider a possible starting quarterback.’ We’re going to welcome Ty into the building with open arms, but what I thought was important for me to make sure there was clarity was, let’s not get it twisted. We’re trying to win right now, and we have short-term and long-term decisions.”
Simpson only started at Alabama for one season, giving him less experience than most other quarterbacks taken in the first round in recent years. However, Simpson had an impressive year in his lone season as Alabama’s starter. He finished the season with 3,567 passing yards, 30 total touchdowns and five interceptions. He also had four straight wins over AP Top 25 teams, leading the Crimson Tide to their first College Football Playoff appearance under head coach Kalen DeBoer.
As a result, Simpson was widely viewed as the No. 2 quarterback prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft, behind only Fernando Mendoza. FOX Sports NFL Draft analyst Rob Rang gave the Rams a B grade for selecting Simpson, calling it a “guts” pick.
“There’s no denying he’s a good fit in Sean McVay’s offense — he was listed as such on my best NFL team for each of this year’s QBs — but it’s easy the boldest first-round pick yet,” Rang wrote. “Obviously, this is a move made for the long term. But I can’t help but wonder if the Rams, likely Super Bowl contenders in 2026, will later wish they had drafted a player likely to make an immediate impact.”
While Rang and some others liked the pick of Simpson because of the positional value, there was still a massive elephant in the room with the pick. But McVay also made it clear that the team prioritized keeping Stafford in the loop when they made the selection of Simpson. McVay said communication was extremely important and called Stafford “a total stud” throughout the process.
“If you can’t have some comfort in the conflict, but it all boils down, I trust that person. I know what they say is the truth … you can work through those things,” McVay said. “I think one of the biggest breakthroughs in our relationship was having to go through some of the tough conversations we had last season.”
Stafford showed no signs of aging last season, throwing for 4,707 yards, 46 touchdowns and eight interceptions as he led the Rams to the NFC Championship Game. He and the Rams are also reportedly discussing an extension to keep him under contract a little longer. Still, Stafford turned 38 in February, and McVay admitted the quarterback’s commitment is likely year-to-year at this point.
Still, even if Simpson is the heir apparent to Stafford, he will have to work his way up the depth chart to become their backup quarterback first. As the team is in the midst of organized team activities (OTAs), McVay has reiterated that Simpson will compete with Stetson Bennett for the top backup job.
