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By Tyler Erzberger
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Matthew Stafford is the MVP of the National Football League and the starting quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams.
And his franchise picked his successor on Thursday night in Pittsburgh at the 2026 NFL Draft.
With the No. 13 pick in the draft, the Rams shocked the football world by taking Alabama's Ty Simpson.
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It's been reported that Rams head coach Sean McVay revealed to Stafford earlier on Thursday that they were taking Simpson and that the Crimson Tide signal-caller would play behind Stafford until he decided to stop playing.
Simpson, 23, only started a single season with Alabama but had a successful campaign with the program. During the first half of the year, he was arguably the best QB in college football before a lower back injury hampered his play through the winter.
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For the Rams, who are already seen as one of, if not the outright favorite, for the Super Bowl next season after upgrading their secondary in the offseason, it's a move that won't change their fortunes in 2026 or 2027.
It's a pick betting on the future, and maybe even most importantly, tying McVay's future to Los Angeles for the next decade-plus.
McVay has never developed his own franchise quarterback, as he was given Jared Goff following a disastrous rookie season, and then eventually joined forces with Stafford in the massive trade that sent Goff to the Detroit Lions.
Simpson is McVay's guy and no one else's. A raw, talented kid with a strong arm and good mobility, he is the Super Bowl-winning head coach's project, one that will show whether he can mold a franchise QB on his own.
He helped turn Goff into a star.
Now, Simpson, his chosen heir apparent for Stafford, might be his magnum opus.
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