Sean McVay explains his viral reaction to Rams drafting Ty Simpson

After the Los Angeles Rams selected Ty Simpson with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Sean McVay went viral for his stoic reaction. Simpson is seen as the heir apparent to Matthew Stafford whenever he decides to walk away.

When asked about his reaction on Saturday, McVay acknowledged the chatter on social media. He told ESPN’s Peter Schrager and NFL Network’s Kyle Brandt he was simply showing respect for Stafford by maintaining his game face.

McVay said he didn’t want to take anything way from Stafford’s accomplishments in Los Angeles as part of his potential Hall of Fame career. While he admitted he likely would have been fairly stoic anyway, McVay wanted to make sure he walked the fine line between celebrating the quarterback of the future as well as what Stafford has done.

“Well, there were some other things I was grumpy about that you just navigate, normally,” McVay said. “But I think the main thing was you just wanted to make sure that I would have been stoic by nature anyways, just based on the respect for Matthew, because it’s a unique situation. You get a chance to be able to take a player that you like at a really important position, but you don’t want it to be minimized or misunderstood in terms of what this means in terms of our investment and our commitment to Matthew for as long as he wants to continue to play. So you’re kind of teetering that line and clearly, I came off a little grumpier than normal.”

One of the criticisms around Simpson during the pre-draft process was his lack of starting experience at Alabama. He only started 15 games with the Crimson Tide and while he started strong, it was an up-and-down finish to the year. He completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns, to five interceptions, in 2025.

Sean McVay on how Matthew Stafford handled Ty Simpson pick

Before Thursday’s first round, the Rams informed Matthew Stafford of their plans to take Ty Simpson if he was still on the board, FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer reported. Sean McVay said the veteran quarterback handled the news well and the organization is ready for whatever he decides to do, whether it’s retirement or another year in 2027.

“He couldn’t be more of a stud,” McVay said. “I think what you talk about is, you explain the situation. When you’re an elite competitor like he is, he responded exactly the way I would want to. He’s going to put his arm around this guy. But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with, if I was him – and he was great. He couldn’t have been more of a stud about it. But the thought process, when you explain it to him, he’s like, ‘Hey, I understand it.’ He’s earned the right to be year-to-year, and if he tells me he wants to play three more years, nobody would be more excited about that than me.

“But because we are year-to-year, he doesn’t owe us anything. And if he decides after next year he wants to ride off into the sunset or wants to continue to play, those are things that we would welcome with open arms. But we do need to be able to have some planning in place not only to be able to help him be the best version of himself right now in terms of how we’re managing his workload, but also earning the right to be able to say, ‘Hey, if after 18 years.’ But if he tells me he wants to keep playing, hey, I’m all for that.”