When you draft a quarterback with the 13th-overall pick in the NFL draft, you’re directing a large spotlight on yourself. The Los Angeles Rams knew that when they took Ty Simpson out of Alabama with that selection.
It’s never easy to make that pick when you already have an established starting quarterback. Some veterans don’t take kindly to that. Matthew Stafford, it appears, is handling it about as well as you could ask for.
Of course, it helps when you just got a fat payday this offseason, too. But
fresh off an MVP season and back in the saddle to lead the Super Bowl favorites, you could understand why a guy like Stafford may not be thrilled with Simpson joining the team.
This is a professional, though, a guy who has been through a lot, who has seen a lot and who has certainly seen similar situations play out in an ugly way elsewhere.
Speaking at OTAs this week, Stafford said he and coach Sean McVay had a talk about the Simpson pick, and he appreciated both that McVay wanted to keep him in the loop.
“I understand where the team’s coming from,” Stafford said. “Listen, I’m not 25 years old and I get that. We’re doing everything we can to be as good a football team as we can for now, for the future, for all of it.”
It may feel like a no-brainer for McVay that he’d talk about the situation with his current starter, but recent history tells us that’s anything but a given. Go ask Aaron Rodgers how he felt about the Jordan Love pick, specifically the fact that he was never asked for input on it back in 2020. He continued to play well, but that franchise was mired in a bizarre vibe as his feud with their front office stewed for years.
Stafford went on to discuss that his most important job is getting ready to be as good as he can be (and for the team to be as good as it can be). While that’s obviously what you want to hear, humans aren’t always paint-by-numbers creatures. The fact that your veteran quarterback is being mature about this publicly, is handling his business and is doing what he can for Simpson is a positive reflection of Stafford’s character.
He doesn’t need to be a full-time mentor for Simpson. This isn’t like when the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Patrick Mahomes and incumbent starter Alex Smith knew he was just keeping the seat warm for the hotshot draft pick. Stafford has a legitimate chance to lead the Rams to another Super Bowl title this year, which would not only further cement his legacy with the franchise but would help strengthen his own Hall of Fame candidacy.
There’s a difference between becoming a full-time mentor and completely shutting the kid out, though. Stafford is bridging the gap exactly how you’d hope. It’s a tough situation, but at this stage there’s no reason to think it will become an unnecessary distraction. As long as that’s the case, the early stages of the Rams’ succession plan is in great shape.
