Matthew Stafford hasn’t officially made a statement after the Los Angeles Rams took Ty Simpson in the 2026 NFL draft. Everyone’s waiting to hear from the reigning MVP, but if history tells us anything, don’t expect any drama from Stafford’s end.
The reason we might not have heard from Stafford is that, like the rest of us, he’s still in shock. Simpson’s selection in the first round was one of the most surprising draft picks in recent memory. Even days later, it’s a pick that doesn’t make sense externally
for a team supposedly going all in this offseason. Internally, it shouldn’t cause much friction.
Read more: Rams repeat Packers’ mistake with Ty Simpson pick
Truthfully, no one should be worried about Stafford’s reaction, since when has he ever caused a stir?
The Rams made a conscious effort to communicate their first round plans to Stafford. For example, that wasn’t the case for Aaron Rodgers, who infamously found out the Packers selected Jordan Love when everyone else did. It’s a business, and teams aren’t obligated to keep their franchise quarterbacks in the loop on everything. L.A. did what Green Bay failed to do, and that will make a difference in the long run, regardless of the veteran’s reaction.
There is a clear difference between showing disagreement with an organization’s decision and accepting it, and being a plain ol’ drama queen.
Take the Rodgers-Love situation again, A-Rod exhausted Green Bay with the “will he or won’t he” retirement dance nearly every offseason towards the end of his time there. Eventually, the Packers opted to trade him to the Jets and give Love his opportunity.
Stafford has not done anything to that level to the Rams, as he’s never operated like that.
Similar to the case with Rodgers and Love, Stafford could ultimately be motivated by the selection and maintain his MVP-level play for seasons to come. Rodgers won back-to-back MVPs after Love was drafted. Tom Brady, to a lesser extent, was motivated by the Patriots’ Jimmy Garoppolo selection and proceeded to win three more Super Bowls in New England.
This might be the best-case scenario for Stafford and the Rams, assuming they can get over the hump within the next couple seasons.
If the Rams were worried about walking on eggshells about how their quarterback would respond, they wouldn’t have made the pick, let alone communicated it beforehand. Stafford isn’t wired to air his grievances publicly, and that’s why this won’t morph into a major storyline in the media.
