Ty Simpson Preferred Rams, but Cardinals May Have Won Anyway

The Arizona Cardinals lost the battle but won the war.

Apr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson is selected by the Los Angeles Rams as the number 13 pick during the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

TEMPE — The Arizona Cardinals and quarterback Ty Simpson were one of the draft's hottest connections leading into the first round, though it was in fact a divisional rival that walked out of draft night with the Alabama quarterback.

Simpson to the desert made sense in a few ways. Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort liked Simpson dating back to the very end of the 2025 regular season. Arizona needed a long-term replacement for Kyler Murray and after swinging and missing on various free agent names, the draft gave 2026's offseason one final opportunity.

New Cardinals head coach in Mike LaFleur was thought to be eying a potential system fit to run his offense in future years, though it was in fact one of LaFleur's greatest influences (Rams coach Sean McVay) that surprised the entire draft and took Simpson with the 13th overall pick.

That's a wrap on Day 1 😃 pic.twitter.com/vYAOQrG4S2

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) April 24, 2026

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, reporting on Los Angeles' eye-opening selection, says plenty of league personnel expected Arizona to be in play for Simpson either later in the first or at their 34th overall selection in the second round. Simpson also was confident in landing with the Cardinals as a possibility, too.

Yet when it came to preferences, Simpson apparently preferred Los Angeles.

"While Simpson would have been glad to go to Arizona, he wanted to be a Ram if all things were equal, a source close to him said, citing the winning culture and the presence of McVay and Stafford," Fowler reported.

That's just fine.

Why Cardinals Are Better Off Without Ty Simpson

Apr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson poses on the red carpet before the 2026 NFL Draft at Point State Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Before we dive a bit deeper, let's get one thing clear: This isn't a "well we didn't want him anyways!" take or mentality. Especially working in the media, there's no rooting against players to succeed.

However, historically speaking, the Cardinals were better off going another direction.

Simpson, as a prospect, was quietly polarizing. The flashes of excellence were there during his time at Alabama, making some big time throws and using his legs to extend plays — both requirements if you're going to make the NFL jump.

Yet for as bright as Simpson's future projects, there's also a few anchors that weighed him down — so much so that many believed he was a second-round pick with the gap between him and No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza fairly sizable.

Size was a question mark for Simpson, who many believe is too small at just under 6-2 and 211 lbs. While that's not a tiny frame (Cardinals fans know all too well with Murray), that's also not quite a prototypical build, either.

While the size was a question mark, the experience was the biggest divider between Simpson deniers and truthers. He played just 15 college games before entering the draft, offering just a small sample size for NFL teams to make massive time and financial commitments to.

Only three quarterbacks were drafted in the first round over the last decade with 15 or fewer college starts: Anthony Richardson, Mitchell Trubisky and Dwayne Haskins.

Simpson now joins that list, and it's not quite great company to be looped in.

For his case, perhaps Simpson will sit in Los Angeles for a few years behind Matthew Stafford. That's an advantageous spot for any college passer, though especially Simpson who won't be thrown into the fire immediately.

Yet the Cardinals didn't quite have that luxury in place, and for as much as talent matters for quarterbacks coming into the league, situation matters just as much.

While Jacoby Brissett is set to be the starter (assuming his contract situation plays out as expected), there's very much a world where Simpson may have been inserted into starting duties sooner than some hoped. With LaFleur not having any reps of his system installed on grass, the variance for what the Cardinals want to do offensively is much greater than the Rams.

Los Angeles taking Simpson feels much different compared to Arizona doing the same. The Rams have a more concrete system and infrastructure compared to the Cardinals. Los Angeles also has a verified quarterback plan in place while Arizona — quite frankly — is still scrambling for that answer.

And maybe that's why the Cardinals are better off without Simpson on the roster. For as many knocks as Simpson had as a player, it felt like Arizona would have forced a quick decision to find their next franchise quarterback as opposed to taking the right one.

That's not something most fans want to hear. Winning is demanded sooner than later in the NFL, which often is referred to "Not For Long" if losing piles up.

Arizona's done plenty of that lately with no clear direction for their next franchise guy. It appears that won't be changing this offseason.

Who knows if that 2027 quarterback class pans out as expected. In fairness, many said the same thing about 2026.

And while the Cardinals indeed got their star last night with running back Jeremiyah Love — it might have been for the best if Simpson went to Hollywood.