Sean McVay Clarifies His Reaction to Ty Simpson Pick: ‘We Couldn’t Be More Excited’

The Los Angeles Rams’ selection of Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick was probably the biggest shock of the 2026 NFL Draft. Los Angeles looked set to go with a receiving weapon in favor of quarterback Matthew Stafford this season, but they found a signal for the future. Initially, it didn’t seem like the choice of Simpson seemed like a satisfactory choice for head coach Sean McVay. After the first day of the NFL draft, McVay’s first speaker was brief, sharing that his phone call between him and Simpson in the draft room “will be kept between us” and that Simpson “would be competing” with backup quarterback Stetson Bennett III. Because McVay’s responses were relatively brief, others also read his body language when discussing Simpson’s selection. McVay didn’t seem to smile or anything like that when asked about the pick. But McVay cleared things up Friday, telling reporters he was excited about the addition of Simpson and that he wasn’t mad at Rams general manager Les Snead. “We couldn’t be more in tune with every decision we make. We’re excited about it. There’s different things you always want to be aware of and how things are going,” McVay said during the Rams’ press conference at the end of the second day of the 2026 NFL Draft. “We couldn’t be more excited to continue leading together. Every decision we make is collective and collaborative. For any questions based on my behavior and disposition last night, I wanted that to be put to rest.” McVay added that he was “grumpy” when speaking to reporters, explaining that was why he looked unhappy on the podium Thursday night. “This is my buddy right here,” McVay said as he sat next to 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.” However, McVay didn’t give a detailed reason why he was grumpy. “Well, there were other things that had nothing to do with it, that’s normal life,” McVay said. “The main thing was… I couldn’t be more excited to be able to add him, but also to understand how much I love Matthew Stafford, how respectful you always want to be and how things can be interpreted. The behavior would have been stoic in nature because you’re excited, but by no means – it’s Matthew’s football team. “I’m excited to be able to add Ty. What a blessing it is for him to be able to learn from Matthew and to be able to enter into that atmosphere and environment. Whenever that time comes for him to have the opportunity to be Matthew’s successor, it will be on Matthew’s terms. I think that was really what was important. I didn’t want this to be misunderstood without minimizing the enthusiasm and buy-in for Ty. Les and his group really liked him.” Simpson visited Los Angeles Friday after his selection by the Rams and had nothing but good things to say about his future head coach. “He’s got the juice,” Simpson said of McVay at the Rams’ temporary headquarters near SoFi Stadium. “This guy is a guy who is a ball of fire. He loves the ball.” The Rams finished the season as runners-up in the NFC West and advanced to the NFC Championship before falling to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Seahawks. With Stafford winning the NFL MVP this year and a loaded roster built from the offseason, the Rams might be able to make a run at the Super Bowl.