Rams Believed NFC West Team Had ‘Heavy Interest' in QB Ty Simpson: Report

The Los Angeles Rams were painted into a draft corner after trading for Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie in March.

Part of the McDuffie trade package was the Rams sending the Chiefs their 29th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, which meant the Rams would only be selecting at No. 13 overall in the first round last Thursday night.

Los Angeles made the most surprising move of the draft by making Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson the 13th overall pick of the draft. It immediately raised eyebrows that the Rams, objectively the most win-now team in the league and the Super Bowl favorites, would spend that capital on a backup quarterback.

But it appears the Rams felt they had no other choice.

“They weren't sure where Simpson would go if they didn't draft him,” The Athletic’s Nate Atkins wrote of the Rams’ mentality toward Simpson. “But they believed the Arizona Cardinals, who owned pick No. 34 in the second round, had heavy interest, a team source told The Athletic. They could either lock in Simpson as their future or risk facing him twice a year within the NFC West.”

If the Rams still possessed the No. 29 overall pick, perhaps they would have waited to draft Simpson there. But then Los Angeles would not have McDuffie and would have a glaring need at cornerback. The Rams would also likely be criticized for taking a quarterback anywhere in the first round, rightly or wrongly.

According to Rich Eisen, the Rams’ Simpson pick marked the first time since the 1967 Green Bay Packers that an NFL team with the reigning NFL MVP at quarterback drafted a quarterback in the first round of the following draft.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, 38, won his first MVP award in February and confirmed his plan to return for the 2026 season during his acceptance speech. Ian Rapoport reported last Friday that the Rams and Stafford are “close on a contract extension,” reiterating head coach Sean McVay’s assertion that the Rams are Stafford’s team for the foreseeable future.

The way things shook out, the Cardinals drafted Miami quarterback Carson Beck in the third round (No. 65 overall), and there’s a non-zero chance Beck becomes Arizona’s QB1 at some point next season. So, while Simpson is years away from his first snap, the Rams could face Beck twice a year as soon as this year.

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This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 5:16 PM.