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When the Los Angeles Rams drafted quarterback Ty Simpson in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday, head coach Sean McVay didn’t look happy, and he admitted as much on Friday.
McVay, while recapping the second day of the Rams draft, opened his press conference by acknowledging his behavior after Simpson was selected.
“I understand my behavior last night, but we’re excited. There’s different things. I always want to be mindful of how things are going and things like that. I’m very excited about last night and very excited about today. I couldn’t be more excited about us continuing to lead together, but every decision we make is collective and collaborative,” McVay said.
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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)
“For any questions or misunderstandings based solely on my behavior or temperament last night, I wanted to get this straightened out. That’s my boyfriend right here.,” McVay said with a smile as he extended his hand to general manager Les Snead.
“It was brought to my attention because I received so many text messages. It was never my intention to be able to stand out, but sometimes I can be a little grumpy.”
A reporter followed and asked the 40-year-old coach why he was grumpy.
“Well, there were other things that had nothing to do with it, that’s normal life,” McVay said.
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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford reacts after throwing a touchdown pass during an NFL game against the New York Jets in East Rutherford, New Jersey on December 22, 2024. (Adam Faim/AP)
“The bottom line was I couldn’t be more excited to be able to add him, but also understanding how much I love Matthew Stafford, how respectful you always want to be and how things can be interpreted. The attitude would have been stoic in nature because you’re excited, but by no means – this is Matthew’s football team.”
Stafford, in his 17th season, won his first MVP last year with the Rams. However, despite the success, Stafford has reportedly considered retiring after every season for the past two seasons.
The 38-year-old quarterback only announced he would return for another season when he ended his MVP speech with the news. With Stafford’s future seemingly uncertain after next season, the Rams have gotten a head start on their heir apparent.
McVay said he was excited for Simpson to learn from Stafford.
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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)
“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.”
If Simpson ever becomes the quarterback that Stafford is, McVay won’t feel grumpy often.
