When the Rams used their first-round draft pick on quarterback Ty Simpson, questions were immediately raised: Shouldn’t they have spent that pick on a player who could help Matthew Stafford win another Super Bowl? Did Rams coach Sean McVay even want Simpson?
Simpson said he was aware of the reaction, but it didn’t matter to him.
“I really didn’t care, to be honest with you,” Simpson told SI.com. “Everybody can have an opinion, but it’s my job to take care of my business. So, the Rams took me with the 13th overall pick, so now it’s my job to be the best player I can be, the best Ty I can be, and go out there and prove them right. I don’t really listen to all that. My job is to make sure to do whatever my team needs me to do to win and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Simpson says Stafford has been a good teammate in the early part of the offseason program.
“It’s great. Just sitting there in the room with Matthew, it’s super, super fun. It’s awesome. He’s just an A-plus guy, A-plus player,” Simpson said. “I think it’s really, really cool to, one, be in the room with Matthew, who has done it at a high level for so long.”
With Stafford now signed through 2027, it could be years before Simpson takes over from Stafford as the starter. But Simpson is beginning the work now to be ready whenever his name is called.
June 1 is eight days away. An A.J. Brown trade is as little as nine days away.
As of June 2, the Eagles can trade Brown and spread the dead-money charge over two years. Most believe it’s just a matter of time before the trade happens. Most believe Brown will be traded to the Patriots.
Watch the video attached to this post. Patriots safety Kevin Byard and receiver Romeo Doubs recently spoke openly about the arrival of Brown as if it’s a done deal.
It’s entirely possible that the deal is unofficially done. Trade terms agreed to, and both teams keeping their mouths shut until Brown passes a physical and both teams communicate the terms of the transaction to the league office.
The Maxx Crosby fiasco from March was a lesson to all teams about not letting the cart get in front of the horse. Say nothing until the deal is official.
Could another team swoop in with a better offer? If the Patriots and Eagles have unofficially worked out a deal, and if both sides honor a transaction that remains unofficial until it becomes official, it’s too late for that.
Some are still suggesting the Rams could make a run at Brown. That ship sailed in March, when the Rams decided not to proceed based on the available medical information — and when the Rams allowed $24 million in 2026 compensation for receiver Davante Adams to become fully guaranteed.
If the Rams had done the deal, they would have traded Adams. It’s not impossible for someone else to enter the A.J. fray, especially if the Chiefs are suddenly having misgivings about whether Rashee Rice can be trusted after his recent probation violation.
For now, all signs are still pointing to Brown becoming a Patriot as soon as June 2.
As his 13th NFL season approaches, receiver Davante Adams has a chance to make a big move on the list of all-time receptions.
His 60 catches in 2025, Adams’s first year with the Rams, put him at No. 16 on the career catch list with 1,017.
As noted by Evan Craig of SB Nation, Adams needs only seven catches to match Rams legend and Hall of Famer Isaac Bruce at No. 15. Beyond that, Adams needs seven more to catch Steve Smith Sr. at No. 14.
Another 60-catch season would put Adams in the top 10, one reception ahead of Anquan Boldin and one behind Terrell Owens. (Free-agent Keenan Allen, currently at 1,055 catches, may have something to say about whether Adams finishes 2026 at No. 10 or No. 11.)
It’s unclear how much longer the 33-year-old Adams will play. But he’s in position to eventually pass Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr., who’s currently fifth with 1,102 receptions. Entering 2026, Adams is only 86 catches away from doing that.
Adams is already seventh in career touchdown receptions, with 117. He has led the league three times — and he’s the only player to do that with three different teams (Packers, Raiders, Rams).
Last year, he had 14 in only 14 games. With another 14 touchdown catches this year, Adams will occupy the No. 4 spot on the all-time list at 131, behind only Jerry Rice (197), Randy Moss (156), and Terrell Owens (153).
Already, Adams has put together a borderline Hall of Fame resume. By the time he’s done, it could be a no-brainer.
Making Matthew Stafford’s MVP season more impressive was that he almost didn’t play in Week 1.
In a recent appearance on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast, Rams coach Sean McVay said Stafford’s preseason back injury nearly resulted in Stafford landing on injured reserve.
“What people don’t realize is how close -- [Stafford] and I sat down -- and I was like, ‘Hey, this isn’t responding the way we had hoped,’” McVay said, via John Breech of CBS Sports. “‘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.’”
Stafford, who tweaked his back in the downtime between the offseason program and the start of training camp, didn’t practice until August 18.
McVay previously said in a March appearance on PFT Live that other teams thought he was simply giving Stafford extended time off during camp. McVay shared in his more recent interview a story from Stafford.
“We’re playing in London against Jacksonville,” McVay said. “Matthew comes to me before the game, and he goes, ‘How about this?’ He goes, ‘I’m talking to the Jacksonville staff. Those guys are like, ‘Man, that’s pretty cool of Sean to let you have off of camp and use the back injury to do that.’ And he’s like, ‘The fuck you talking about, man? The back injury was real as shit.’ We were nervous as hell. I mean, it was a week before we’re playing Houston.”
Time in an Ammortal chamber helped get Stafford’s back where it needed to be. And everything worked out.
But here’s the reality. Back problems can return. With Stafford now 38, it can come back at any time.
Last year, the Rams got lucky. This year, the question of whether Stafford will have a relapse will linger. Which makes it even more important to have an understudy ready to go.
Whether that would be rookie Ty Simpson or Stetson Bennett or (if he decides to play again) Jimmy Garoppolo remains to be seen.
Four weeks after drafting quarterback Matthew Stafford’s potential eventual replacement, the Rams have reached a new deal with the latest NFL MVP.
The Rams have announced that Stafford and the team have signed an extension.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the one-year extension has a base value of $55 million. It can be worth up to $60 million with incentives.
Stafford, 38, had been under contract for one more year, with a total compensation package of $40 million.
The Rams and Stafford have been operating on a year-to-year arrangement. It’s currently unclear whether the Rams have made a firm, two-year commitment. Even if the Rams can feasibly exit the deal after 2026, Stafford’s commitment keeps him from becoming a free agent after the upcoming season.
The structure will be the key. The amount of guarantees for 2027 will reveal whether the Rams are continuing to play it one year at a time, while also managing to keep Stafford from walking away, if he so chooses.
The first overall pick in 2009, Stafford has earned more than $400 million during his NFL career. He was traded by the Lions to the Rams in early 2021. In his first season in L.A., the Rams won the Super Bowl.
