Andrew Buller-Russ
Matthew Stafford is coming off the best season of his career, winning his first NFL MVP award while leading the Los Angeles Rams to a record. He’s also 38 years old and has contemplated retirement in recent years. Enter, Ty Simpson.
On Thursday night, many expected the Rams to select a wide receiver such as Jordyn Tyson or Makai Lemon with the 13th overall pick in the first round. Tyson went No. 8 to the Saints. Lemon was still available. Other projections had the Rams making a sneaky pick with Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq, who set an NFL Scouting Combine record for tight ends with a 4.39-second 40-yard dash. Nope. All those mock drafts were wrong.
Instead, Rams general manager Les Snead shocked everyone by selecting Alabama’s QB, Simpson, who is now officially the heir apparent to Stafford in L.A. Clearly, this is a move head coach and QB guru Sean McVay signed off on, but it’s still a decision no one anticipated at 13.
Yet, just last offseason, there was even a belief that the Rams might trade Stafford, a former Super Bowl LVI champion, before finding common ground and renegotiating his contract. Now headed into the final year of his contract again, the selection of Simpson makes one wonder if this could be Stafford’s final season in Los Angeles, and possibly the NFL.
According to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, the Rams did inform Stafford that they’d be selecting Simpson with the 13th overall pick today. Though, they informed him that the selection was “for whenever Stafford decides to move on.”
Meanwhile, this is a rough development for former Georgia QB Stetson Bennett, whom the Rams made the 128th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Surely, he’s set for QB3 duties behind Stafford and Simpson. Plus, all that smoke about the Rams hoping Jimmy Garoppolo would have a change of heart and re-sign? Beautifully played by Los Angeles.
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