Did former Jets executive convince Rams' Les Snead, Sean McVay to draft Ty Simpson?

Whether or not Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay were both truly in favor of making Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson the 13th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft sparked all kinds of discussions on sports-talk programs for roughly 24 hours after that decision was made. 

It is now widely believed that both Snead and McVay think that Simpson can eventually become a long-term replacement for current starter and reigning Most Valuable Player Matthew Stafford. 

For a piece published on Monday, NFL insider Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom US spoke with one unnamed personnel executive who believes former New York Jets executive Phil Savage helped convince those running the Rams to take a flier on Simpson. The Rams hired Savage as a player personnel consultant earlier in the offseason. 

Why Phil Savage may have been behind Rams' Ty Simpson draft decision

"All the buzz about Simpson through the combine was all Arizona or the Jets," the personnel executive told La Canfora. "Phil was just in New York, he knows people there and he loved Simpson. He is still wired into Alabama, he has as much information on those players as anybody. And then all of a sudden he gets hired by the Rams a month before the draft, and they end up taking Simpson?"

As La Canfora mentioned, Savage is from Alabama and previously worked as an announcer for Crimson Tide football games. As it pertains to the NFL, Savage most recently was a senior personnel advisor for the Jets from 2019 through a portion of the 2024 season. He then finished that campaign as the Jets' interim general manager following the firing of Joe Douglas.

As for Simpson, the Rams drafting him over a player who likely would have been a 2026 Week 1 starter remains a polarizing decision among members of the football community. While some may not be convinced that McVay is all-in on the win-now Rams spending a first-round draft choice on a project for the future, La Canfora suggested that the coach is more than fine with the move. 

Was Sean McVay "always comfortable" with the Ty Simpson draft decision?

"McVay has final say on all matters regarding the Rams' football operations," La Canfora added. "...Much was made of his bizarre initial reaction to drafting Simpson at the press conference, but he was always comfortable with the pick, according to team and league sources." 

It sounds like McVay and Snead may owe Savage some sort of thank-you gift if Simpson becomes a star for the Rams a few years down the road.