Footage of Sean McVay’s subdued draft phone call with Ty Simpson emerges before ‘awkward’ interview

The Los Angeles Rams made a franchise-altering decision on Thursday.

Armed with arguably the best roster in football, led by reigning MVP Matthew Stafford, the Rams shocked everyone with the 13th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

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The Rams selected Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, opting for a backup QB project instead of someone who can immediately help them in their quest for a Super Bowl .

It’s the first time they have drafted a quarterback in the first round of the draft since 2016, when they selected Jared Goff. 

The move sent shockwaves around the NFL as many had viewed Simpson as a Day 2 selection, despite claims from certain analysts that he was better than No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.

However, during the Rams’ post-draft press conference, NFL fans became convinced that head coach Sean McVay wasn’t sold on drafting Simpson, despite general manager Les Snead’s defense. 

“I think it’s been a process that started in the offseason, per se, especially when Sean and the coaching staff got involved,” Snead said.

“That process goes all the way up even into the latter parts of last week. Then at that point in time, like I have mentioned here, the sea is going to shape the 13th pick you. You had to fall.”

Eagle-eyed viewers took particular notice of McVay’s body language during the press conference. He was seen with a stern look and gave short responses to questions. 

“Yeah, that’s not how a coach operates. Someone else made that pick,” one fan took note.

“There’s no way Sean wanted to draft a backup project QB 13 overall. Doesn’t help them one bit this upcoming season,” a second fan said.

“The GM and coach has to be on the same page, and clearly Snead and McVay weren’t on the Ty Simpson pick. Yikes,” a third added.

X / @BreidenFehoko

“I mean tryna win a Super Bowl and taking a backup QB at 13 is INSANE,” a fourth questioned.

The NFL on CBS crew also agreed.

“That was very awkward to see,” the panel said.

The Athletic’s Senior Writer for the Los Angeles Rams, Nate Atkins, posted: “I’ve covered a lot of first-round pick pressers across four beats. This was by far the most muted I have seen a regime about the player they drafted.”

Footage of phone call between McVay and Simpson emerges

Shortly after, footage of McVay’s phone call with Simpson emerged.

“Let’s go make history, coach,” Simpson could be heard saying.

However, many felt McVay’s energy did not mirror that of the rookie.

“Damn..the voice and body language from McVay. The only time I’ve seen him like that is after a loss,” said one fan.

“Wow! McVay was clearly not enthused on this pick. Night and day compared to other previous Rams first rounders,” added another.

“They’re not on board. The entire room is quiet. Normally teams are celebrating selections, even in the later rounds,” wrote a third.

McVay didn’t do much of the talking during the press conference afterwards, but when he was specifically asked about Simpson, his answer was very brief.

“He is gonna compete with Stetson [Bennett],” McVay said, referring to the fact Simpson will not be the team’s starter and will instead compete to be their backup QB.

Simpson, meanwhile, said he didn’t hear from McVay or Snead at any point in the pre-draft process.

Simpson said that other than meeting some Rams scouts who came to Alabama’s Pro Day, he was in the dark about the Rams’ interest.

“It was really brief,” Simpson said. “I met with some scouts at Bama and that was really it. They talked to my agent but it was really not much.”

“This was my first time talking to Les, tonight,” Simpson said. “This was my first contact.”

Stafford turned 38 years old in February, and it appears the Rams are starting to plan for life without him.

There were questions as to whether he would play in 2025, with contract disputes and a niggling back injury sparking talks of retirement.

But Stafford won the MVP, and is ageing like a fine-wine.

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The Rams plan in selecting Simpson is obvious.

Simpson will gain valuable knowledge being in the same room as Stafford, and when he retires, it will be the former Alabama’s QB’s job to lose.

“I haven’t talked to Matthew yet but I’m super pumped to be in the room with him and learn from him,” Simpson said.

“He’s one of the greatest of all time. We watched his film all the time when I was with Bama, the stuff he did, the stuff the Rams did with Coach McVay, so the fact that I can soak up all that knowledge, I couldn’t ask for a better situation.”

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