Sean McVay On Ty Simpson Pick: ‘This Is Matthew Stafford’s Team’

The Rams made a clear move for their future in the first round on Thursday by taking Alabama QB Ty Simpson, even with reigning MVP QB Matthew Stafford penciled in for at least one more season.

Speaking after the draft, Rams HC Sean McVay made it clear it will be Stafford’s team even after the pick. 

“Let’s make one thing clear, this is Matthew’s team,” McVay said, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com.

“We’re always going to make decisions that we think are best for the short and the long term. We’ll be excited to be able to get to work with him, and that’s where we’re at.”

The Rams were looking for an experienced, former starter to backup Stafford in 2026, specifically Kirk Cousins or Jimmy Garoppolo. Cousins landed with Las Vegas, and recent reports suggest Garoppolo might retire instead of re-signing with Los Angeles.

With those two options looking unlikely, Simpson could serve as the team’s QB2 in 2026 while learning from Stafford to eventually take the reins sometime down the road. 

Last week, it was reported the Rams made “significant progress” on an extension to get Stafford on the field for the offseason workouts. 

Stafford, 37, is a former first-round pick of the Lions, who took him with the No. 1 overall pick out of Georgia in 2009. He was in the final year of a five-year, $76.5 million contract when he and the Lions agreed to a five-year, $135 million extension back in 2017.

Stafford was involved in a blockbuster trade that sent him to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for QB Jared Goff and draft picks in 2021. He signed a four-year extension worth $160 million that included $135 million guaranteed a year later. 

The Rams and Stafford later reworked that deal going into the 2024 season, moving money up from the back of the contract. Stafford was due $27 million and $31 million in the final two years of his deal when the two sides reworked his existing contract again in 2025. 

In 2025, Stafford appeared in all 17 games for the Rams and threw for 4,707 yards while completing 65.0 percent of his passes for 46 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Simpson, 23, is a native of Martin, Tennessee, and was named second-team All-SEC in 2025 in his first season as a starter with the Crimson Tide.

In four years with Alabama, Simpson appeared in 31 games and made 15 starts. He compiled a record of 11-4 as a starter and completed 334 of his 523 attempts (63.9 percent) for 3,948 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also rushed 112 times for 223 yards and five touchdowns.