One of the most surprising decisions in this draft cycle was that of the Los Angeles Rams, especially due to the selection of Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the No. 13 pick, far earlier than most analysts projected, and coming off a year in which Matthew Stafford won the league MVP award.
Sean McVay’s reaction to the pick did not seem particularly enthusiastic, sparking debate about a possible disagreement between the franchise’s general manager and head coach. However, some believe McVay was actually the one who made the decision and hid behind Les Snead to maintain a good relationship with Stafford.
NFL Executive Believes Sean McVay Chose Ty Simpson in the First Round
Each NFL franchise handles the draft process differently. Some teams give head coaches greater freedom to work and select their own players, while others place that responsibility on the general manager. Although it is usually a collaborative effort, in theory, the final say always belongs to the general manager.
Because of that, when Simpson was selected in the first round within the top 15 picks, and the NFL world was shocked, the initial reaction was not to blame McVay, but rather to question why a team that had just reached the conference championship and had the reigning MVP would select a developmental quarterback so early.
An NFL executive told The Athletic that he does not believe the decision came from Snead, and that McVay has the authority to build the roster as he sees fit, while leaning on Snead to avoid creating tension with Stafford.
“Sean runs the show there,” the executive said. “He is just using the GM to save face and look good for Matthew. But Matthew has already had doubts about playing. It’s not a stretch that you would draft somebody,”
Before the season began, Stafford dealt with a back issue that made his status for the start of the year uncertain, but it did not affect him during the season at all. In fact, it was arguably the best performance of his entire career, which says a lot for a player entering his 18th year in the league.
The fact that Stafford is still performing at a high level and McVay’s initial lukewarm reaction raised concerns that the franchise might not be fully aligned on the decision.
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Either way, the pick has been made, and there is a reasonable argument that the team needs to think about a succession plan for Stafford, who will be 39 years old by the end of the upcoming season.
The Rams offense ranked as the best in the league in 2025 according to the PFSN Offense Impact Metric, with a 92.3 impact score. While Simpson is a long-term project, the unit remains the top offense heading into 2026, and this pick will likely only be judged in two or three seasons, when, and if, Simpson takes over the role.
