Sarah Barshop
Multiple Authors
The Los Angeles Rams selected quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th pick in the NFL draft Thursday night.
Simpson now will back up Matthew Stafford, who is entering his 18th season. The 38-year-old Stafford, who won the NFL’s MVP award in 2025, has not said how long he intends to play.
According to Fox, Rams coach Sean McVay told Stafford on Thursday of the team’s decision and made it clear the selection of Simpson is for whenever Stafford decides to move on.
At the NFL’s annual league meeting in March, McVay had joked he doesn’t “ever” think about life after Stafford, before saying the Rams think about it in the “short and long term.”
Last season at Alabama, Simpson completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns. He entered the draft widely considered to be the second-best quarterback, behind Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, who was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders with the No. 1 pick.
Earlier this week, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Rams had been “eyeing” Simpson with the No. 29 pick, before Los Angeles eventually traded that pick in early March to the Kansas City Chiefs as part of a package to acquire cornerback Trent McDuffie.
Along with Stafford, the Rams have quarterback Stetson Bennett IV on their roster. Bennett, who served as Los Angeles’ third-string quarterback the past two seasons, was a fourth-round pick in 2023.
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