Chris Canty: The Rams 'had to make sure Stafford was happy' after drafting Ty Simpson
Two days after the $55M extension, ESPN's Chris Canty connected the dots between the Rams' first-round QB pick and Matthew Stafford's contract reset.
ESPN's Chris Canty offered the most plausible reading yet of why the Rams gave Matthew Stafford a one-year, $55 million extension three months after winning his first MVP. 'They had to make sure Stafford was happy,' Canty said on First Take, 'because they drafted a quarterback in the first round.'
What's the Simpson context?
The Rams used the 28th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. Simpson had been the consensus second-best QB in the class behind Fernando Mendoza. He started two seasons at Alabama, threw for 5,800 career passing yards and 47 TDs, and won the 2025 SEC Championship Game. The Rams gave up a 2027 second-round pick to move into the bottom of Round 1 to take him.
Why does that change the Stafford conversation?
Drafting a quarterback in the first round signals a long-term succession plan. Stafford is 38 and the extension takes him through 2027, which lines up exactly with the timeline most teams use when they draft a QB to develop behind a veteran. Canty's argument: the Rams couldn't draft Simpson in late April and then ask Stafford to play out his existing contract on the existing terms.
What did Stafford actually say?
Nothing publicly about Simpson. Stafford has not commented on the pick or the extension. Sources close to him have told national writers that Stafford was 'informed but not involved' in the Simpson decision, which is the typical phrasing for a veteran star who learns of a pick alongside the rest of the football world but doesn't object to it.
How does this affect Sean McVay's offense?
Simpson will sit and learn. McVay's quarterback room is now Stafford, Simpson and veteran backup Jimmy Garoppolo, who signed a one-year deal in March specifically to mentor the rookie. The expectation is Stafford starts every game in 2026 and 2027 while Simpson gets occasional preseason snaps and full installs of the playbook in practice.
What's the next checkpoint?
Training camp. If Simpson looks NFL-ready by August (a high bar but not impossible given his college polish), the Rams have flexibility for 2027. If he needs the year to develop, Stafford's extension was always going to be the safer plan. Either way, the Rams are now committed to a clear two-year window with Stafford as the starter and Simpson as the eventual successor.
Players in this story
Sources
- ESPN: Chris Canty on Stafford and the Simpson pick
- Yahoo Sports: Rams keep Stafford happy after Ty Simpson selection
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