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The Los Angeles Rams managed to surprise the NFL world Thursday night with their selection of Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson due to “secret” pre-meetings.
Simpson, 23, said the Rams wanted to confuse other teams by keeping meetings quiet.
“I had secret meetings with Coach (Sean) McVay, and I was just trying to follow the script and do what everyone told me and not tell anyone,” Simpson said during a recent interview with ESPN Radio.
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Ty Simpson of Alabama celebrates after being selected as the 13th overall pick by the Los Angeles Rams in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on April 23, 2026. (Émilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Simpson said he knew the Rams were interested, but wanted to keep it low-key.
“We tried to keep this a secret as long as possible,” Simpson said. “I knew it was something they were interested in, but they wanted it private and didn’t want people to know they were interested.”
The Tennessee native compared speaking with Rams head coach Sean McVay in the “secret meeting” to being like a kid in a candy store, excited about his new situation.
“It was great, we met in the facility and we talked for hours and hours, it was just football. It was just pure football and it was like a kid in a candy store. Him and I are sitting there, just going back and forth. You can tell the obsession he has for the game and you can tell the love he has for the game of quarterback,” Simpson said.
“It’s something that I enjoy and it’s something that I appreciate because I really enjoy playing that position and I enjoy that position. So, being around him and getting to know him and seeing a little bit of how I would be coached if I had the chance to go there, it was something. I couldn’t have asked for a better situation.”
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Ty Simpson of the Alabama Crimson Tide warms up before the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California on January 1, 2026. (CFP/Getty Images)
Simpson’s selection was so surprising because the Rams are in win-now mode. Although the Rams could get a head start in drafting their quarterback of the future, the No. 13 overall pick could have been used on a player at a different position who could make an impact on the team this season.
Matthew Stafford played some of the best football of his career in his 17th season, winning his first MVP last year with the Rams. However, the 38-year-old quarterback only announced he would return for another season by ending his MVP speech with the news.
With Stafford’s future seemingly uncertain after next season, the Rams have gained an advantage over their heir apparent in Simpson.
McVay said during a news conference Friday that he was excited for Simpson to learn from Stafford.
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Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay walks on the field at Lumen Field after the 2026 NFC Championship game against the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle, Washington on January 25, 2026. (Kevin Ng/Imagn Images)
“I’m thrilled to be able to add Ty. What a blessing for him to be able to learn from Matthew and to be able to come into that atmosphere and that environment. Whenever that time comes for him, he has the opportunity to be Matthew’s successor, it will be on Matthew’s terms. I think that was really what was important. I never wanted that to be misunderstood without minimizing the enthusiasm for Ty and the membership,” McVay said.
“Les and his group really liked him. As soon as we started really studying him, there was a body of work, like I said, that was a good, fun assessment. A lot of concepts that we were activating. The guy is a football junkie and he plays with timing and rhythm. You can see he’s a coach’s son. His journey is fun that he’s been through.”
OutKick’s Clay Travis said Simpson would be the perfect fit for the Rams before the NFL Draft began last week.
Simpson has started just one season with Alabama, his last in 2025. In 15 games, he completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 3,567 yards with 28 touchdowns and five interceptions.
