Sean McVay Explains His Viral Reaction to Rams Shockingly Drafting Ty Simpson

The Rams’ head coach clarified his feelings about selecting Ty Simpson.

Sean McVay set the record straight on his demeanor during the Rams press conference on Thursday. | Rams on Youtube.

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Sean McVay addressed the elephant in the room as he and general manager Les Snead returned to the podium following Day 2 of the 2026 NFL draft.

"What do you guys think, am I angry right now?" McVay said to start.

McVay was, of course, taking a stab at his withdrawn demeanor during the Rams’ press conference after Los Angeles selected Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the No. 13 pick. The pick in itself was shocking, but McVay appearing to be unhappy after they made the selection only added to the outside noise and controversy surrounding the move. McVay quickly made clear on Friday that he and Snead remain on the same page, as they have throughout their near decade together on the Rams.

“The one thing that would never be doubted is we couldn’t more in lockstep in every decision we make. I get my demeanor last night, but we’re excited about it. ... Every decision that we make is collective and collaborative. For any of the questions or misunderstandings based on my demeanor or disposition last night, I did want to get that out of the way. This is my buddy right here,” McVay said while giving Snead a pat on the shoulder.

“That was never my intended way to come off, but sometimes I can be a little grumpy,” he added.

Sean McVay addresses his demeanor during the Ty Simpson press conference on Thursday and says he’s excited about the draft pick and that Les Snead is his buddy and they are on the same page. pic.twitter.com/nFUAJ1eLzE

— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) April 25, 2026

Related: Rams Explain Decision to Select QB Ty Simpson With No. 13 Pick

McVay noted he was grumpy due to things that had nothing to do with the pick. He also said he was trying to be stoic as to remain respectful to quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is still the leader of the Rams. McVay did inform Stafford of the decision to take Simpson beforehand, and said the reigning MVP took the news well.

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"It is Matthew’s football team,” McVay said. “Excited to be able to add Ty [Simpson]. What a blessing it is for him to be able to learn from Matthew, to be able to come into this atmosphere and environment. But whenever that time comes for him to get an opportunity to be Matthew's successor, it will be on Matthew's terms."

McVay sounded much more like himself on Friday as a whole, and particularly when he got to elaborate on what they liked about Simpson coming out of Alabama. Like Snead, McVay highlighted Simpson’s resilience and gutsy play as factors that drew them to him.

“Les and his group really liked him as soon as we started studying him,” McVay said. “There was a body of work that was a good, fun evaluation and a lot of the concepts that we would activate. Guy’s a football junkie, plays with the timing and rhythm. You can see that he’s a coach’s son.”

For now, the plan remains for Simpson to spend at least one season on the bench and battle for the backup job with Stetson Bennett IV. The Rams passed up the opportunity to draft an impact player at No. 13 as they look to capitalize on their Super Bowl window, but instead land their quarterback of the future in Simpson—a player both Snead and McVay believe in.

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