The Rams got the backup quarterback they wanted in Ty Simpson. Perhaps more importantly, they prevented a certain NFC rival from picking him up for themselves.
Simpson came out of the 2026 NFL draft as one of the most oft-talked about picks, in part because of Rams coach Sean McVay’s viral reaction to the selection. Even though Los Angeles risked a No. 13 pick to draft him, the organization reportedly liked Simpson’s tape and clearly thought he was talented enough to come off the board as the QB2 behind Fernando Mendoza.
There was another reason the Rams took a gamble on him so early, per The Athletic’s Nate Atkins. The Rams believed the Cardinals, who held the No. 34 pick in the second round, had “heavy interest” in Simpson, and they decided they would rather draft him high than face him twice year in the NFC West.
In fact, the Rams were so bought in on Simpson that they planned to stash him even if veteran Jimmy Garoppolo re-signed as their backup, according to Atkins. This was the culmination of “secret meetings” that McVay had with Simpson during the pre-draft process, as Simpson recently revealed in an interview with ESPN Radio, with the Rams hoping to hide their hand leading up to April’s draft.
Cardinals coach and former Rams offensive coordinator, Mike LaFleur, didn’t say anything about Arizona’s interest in Simpson after the draft but did know for a fact that McVay liked him.
“I was surprised at Mr. Grumpy that night because I know how excited he is about that quarterback. He always really liked that quarterback,” LaFleur said of McVay on the Rich Eisen Show. “... There was a lot of love for Ty Simpson in that building. Obviously, I was in that building so that wasn’t shocking to me at all. How it got to that point, where they were all in lockstep for the 13th pick, obviously, I wasn’t there for those conversations, but the beginning of it, I know Les, Sean and the rest of them all were really excited.”
Everything Sean McVay and Rams GM Les Snead have said about Ty Simpson
In the wake of swirling rumors that McVay didn’t want to draft Simpson, the Rams coach said he and GM Les Snead were “in lockstep” about the pick and that he was excited about the Alabama product joining the organization.
"It is Matthew’s football team,” McVay said in a press conference. “Excited to be able to add Ty [Simpson]. What a blessing it is for him to be able to learn from Matthew, to be able to come into this atmosphere and environment. But whenever that time comes for him to get an opportunity to be Matthew's successor, it will be on Matthew's terms."
Snead echoed a similar sentiment in his simple explanation on the Simpson selection: “At the macro level, to keep it simple, we've always known that there will be a time when we need our future quarterback, and the way the stars aligned in this draft, that was an opportunity we felt like we should take.”
In addition, Snead and Simpson’s dad Jason, who’s the football coach at the University of Tennessee at Martin, reportedly share a strong relationship, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer noted. Snead apparently helped advise the Simpson family when the then-Alabama signal-caller was deciding on whether or not to declare for the draft.
As far as what Simpson’s rookie campaign looks like in 2026, he’ll likely spend the upcoming season developing on the bench alongside fellow backup and former Georgia QB Stetson Bennett IV. As McVay emphatically pointed out, this is still Stafford’s team, after all.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Report: Rams Worried NFC Rival Would Poach Ty Simpson in 2026 NFL Draft.
