Sean McVay readily acknowledges the fine line the Los Angeles Rams walked by selecting Ty Simpson 13th overall in the 2026 draft rather than a skill-position player who might provide a more immediate impact alongside Matthew Stafford.
After narrowly avoiding disaster with Stafford last season, though, LA made a business decision.
At the same time, McVay has made no bones about his appreciation for and loyalty to the reigning MVP. That includes their discussion about the Rams bringing in his heir apparent.
Sean McVay Gets Honest About Dynamic With Matthew Stafford
GettySean McVay has made his stance on Matthew Stafford clear after the Los Angeles Rams drafted Ty Simpson.
There was plenty of debate about McVay and Rams general manager Les Snead being in lockstep over drafting Simpson. But Stafford’s stance, which has solely been relayed through others to this point, has also been a source of intrigue.
McVay reiterated that he discussed the decision with Stafford and that the QB took the news well, though he may not have been thrilled with it.
“You absolutely sit down, you give clarity, and you can talk to him in a different way because of the capacity and the experience he has, and explain the thought process,” McVay said on “Bussin With The Boys” on May 19. “He handled it exactly like you would want somebody to handle it. But he also understands. He’s been in this thing. And even if it doesn’t necessarily have to be exactly agreed upon, he’s like, ‘I get it.’
“This guy can think from an empathetic perspective, too. He’s respectful of the situations and the circumstances that I’m put in, and that we’re put in as leaders, to make those calls. Do I know if it’s going to be right? We’ll see down the line. But I know what I also am grateful for is having No. 9 ready to ride and feeling as good as he does right now.”
That last part was quite telling, given what McVay, Stafford, and the Rams faced in 2025.
Stafford may not have been all-in on the Rams drafting Simpson. He has reached out to welcome the rookie to the team. He is 38 years old and entering his 18th NFL season, though. Stafford is well aware that he is closer to the end of his career than the beginning.
The Rams are, at the very least, better prepared to withstand an extended absence from Stafford in 2026 and beyond.
Matthew Stafford Nearly Landed on Injured Reserve
GettyMatthew Stafford nearly missed the first four weeks of the 2025 regular season.
McVay relayed a story about the Rams’ showdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London last season. Stafford spoke with their opponents beforehand.
The QB relayed the exchange to his head coach, who revealed the severity of the injury.
“Those guys are like, ‘Man, that’s pretty cool of Sean to let you have off of camp and use a back injury to kind of do that,’” McVay said, recalling Stafford’s words. “He’s like, “The f*** are you talking about, man? That the back injury was real as s***. We were nervous as hell, man.’ It was a week before we’re playing Houston, the old Ammortal [Chamber] saved him. But that was real.
Stafford used the chamber during training camp, while Jimmy Garoppolo took the starting practice reps and Stetson Bennett IV played in the Rams’ preseason games.
That led to some tough conversations between the coach and the quarterback.
“He (Stafford) and I sat down. It’s like, ‘Hey, this isn’t responding the way that we hoped. Let’s put you on temporary IR so we don’t put this … where we feel like this anxiety of having to hit a timeline to be ready to go,” McVay said.
“Only he could articulate in terms of unique treatments and outside-the-box thinking, where he’s…basically going to a torture chamber for 48 hours. But then, you could also see there’s this mindset that’s the separator in the greats, where he went out there, and he was like, ‘F*** it, I’m going to swing.’ And he did it, and then he never looked back.”
Stafford would have missed the first four games of the season on IR, a stretch that saw the Rams get out to a 3-1 start. They went 12-5 during the regular season and reached the NFC Championship Game during the playoffs.
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