Will potential Jimmy Garoppolo retirement convince Rams to make surprising Ty Simpson decision during 2026 NFL Draft?

The Los Angeles Rams could be in the market for a backup quarterback. 

Rams backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo is reportedly considering retirement. L.A. head coach Sean McVay has said it's "leaving the door" open to a return. But if the former San Francisco 49ers star doesn't, the Rams would be left without a viable stand-in for starting QB Matthew Stafford.

Rams QB room would be thin without Jimmy Garoppolo

The Rams' only other QB is Stetson Bennett IV, a 2023 fourth-round pick who has spent his first three pro seasons on the bench. He has yet to throw a pass in the regular season. 

L.A. clearly doesn't know if it could trust Bennett if he needed to play at some point, so it would make sense to take another QB in the 2026 NFL Draft (scheduled Thursday-Saturday in Pittsburgh). That would also give the franchise a potential successor for 38-year-old Stafford. Would Alabama Crimson Tide QB Ty Simpson (6-foot-1, 211 pounds) be the right choice? 

Insider notes the Rams like Ty Simpson 

In a column published Wednesday, ESPN's Dan Graziano reported it's an "open secret" that the Rams like Simpson. L.A. taking him seemed more likely before it dealt pick No. 29 to the Kansas City Chiefs in a blockbuster trade for cornerback Trent McDuffie in March. The NFC West team now has one pick in the first round (No. 13).  

Drafting Simpson at No. 13 would be a reach. He tied for 12th in the FBS in touchdown passes (28) last season but started 15 games in his four-year college career at Alabama. NFL teams typically prefer a QB to have started 25-30 college games before turning pro. 

The Rams, however, could wait to see if he's available on Day 2 of the draft and try to move up from pick No. 61 in the second round. The Arizona Cardinals, though, have been linked to the Alabama star throughout the predraft process. In his final 2026 mock draft, ESPN's Peter Schrager has them trading back into the first round with the Seattle Seahawks at No. 32 and taking him.

The other QB options, meanwhile, aren't as appealing. The Rams could roll the dice on North Dakota State Bison QB Cole Payton (6-foot-2, 232 pounds), whose stock has been rising recently, but he's a project. He threw just 16 TD passes in 13 games in 2025.

The Rams may want to consider signing a free-agent QB, perhaps Teddy Bridgewater, if Garoppolo retires. L.A. doesn't want to force a QB in the draft, especially when most of the options don't seem ready to step in if 2025 league MVP Stafford went down.